Something Wicked This Way Comes
by AddieGreysPPPEvilRegal9119
Summary: After she casts the curse that's supposed to send them all back to The Enchanted Forest, Regina wakes up only to find out that a new curse has been cast. Time has been altered with greatly, seeing as Daniel is no longer dead and Henry and Emma never existed. Can the new curse be broken? AU 3x11; StableQueen mentions, but eventually OutlawQueen Endgame.
1. Back to the Beginning

**I could not resist writing an OutlawQueen fic. The thought literally sprang into my head a few hours ago. I promise not to forget about "Together Someday" and "The Shadow Man's Daughter"; I'll try and update them both as much and as often as I can. It's AU, with mentions of 3x11, but it really becomes AU after 3x13. Yes, there will be spoiler-esque things from the coming episodes, though for the most part, this story, this idea is my own.**

**Happy Reading loves,**

**Xx**

* * *

The last thing she could remember, was the darkness of a curse swallowing her. Wait, was it her curse, or another? This time it had to be another, because they were all engulfed away in green smoke. _Green_? **_That Damn Wicked Witch_**. She had done this, cursed them; was this woman _really_ who she said she was? Regina's half sister? No, this bitch just wanted to mess with her head. _This time however_, there was something that she felt as she was yet again torn away from her realm: _fear_.

Her head hurt, like hell; it felt as if she was suffering from a nasty hangover. _Hangover_? That made no sense, _she'd never been drunk a day in her life_! Sure she'd had wine but, to be drunk? _Ha_, _**never**_! She suddenly felt something hot shining down on her face. It was incredibly warm and ever so bright, blinding almost. What was it she wondered. Groaning, she slowly opened her eyes: sunlight. Then, she smelled it, the very distinct smell of the ocean. Clearly, she was no longer in The Enchanted Forest; this was the smell of the ocean, not lakes or rivers of The Enchanted Forest. Then, she heard it, birds chirping over the very shrill sound of her alarm clock. Wait...an alarm clock? That's when she knew where she was: she was in Storybrooke...but how? The last thing she remembered was...

_She was standing at the town line with Emma...and Henry. She knew what had to be done. She had to cast her curse again, but this time with major consequences. Rumple had always told her in his annoying voice:_

"_**Magic always comes with a price, dearie**"_

_Her heart ached, knowing that the imp had made the ultimate sacrifice by killing himself, and his father, who turned out to be Peter Pan(only adding to the strange and fucked up family in which she came from). Now, she too had to give up the thing that she loved and cherished the most: Henry. She would have to give the boy she had spent so much time working hard to convince that she had changed, that she could be good. Now, she stood here, saying goodbye to him, this time for good. The downside of this damned curse was that she could never see Henry again. Her heart physically ached as she held her son in her arms for the last time. She was trusting him to Emma, knowing fair well that the boy would be in safe hands in The Sheriff's hands. She gave Emma a parting gift-good, happy memories with Henry. It would be as though she never game him up. She stood there, holding back a choked sob as the curse reached the end of the town, engulfing it them, sending them back to The Enchanted Forest, never to return to Storybrooke, or this realm ever again..._

xx

Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of Henry, and never seeing him again. But wait...how the hell did she end up in Storybrooke again if she'd cast the curse that was supposed to send them back to their land? Maybe, maybe it was just a dream. Maybe she had envisioned the entire thing, Neverland, Pan, her enacting the curse. Maybe, just maybe that was it. Yes, that had to be it! She thought to herself. Sitting up in bed, she immediately froze; there was someone else in her bed. But, who? Pulling back the covers, she noticed a man, a half naked man lying there, sound asleep. The sight of a man in her bed made the former Queen's heart stop. Who was he; and then, as fate would have it, the man rolled over and stirred. The sight of this man caused all of the color to drain from Regina's face Lying in bed next to her, was Daniel, her first love. _How was that even possible_? He was dead, she'd been the one to kill him, to put him out of his misery after that idiot Dr. Whale had attempted to put one of the heart's that Regina had ripped out into him. Instead of him coming back as her sweet Daniel, he had become a tortured soul. It was at his insistence that he be put of his misery; his promise of her to love again still rang through her ears.

"Daniel?" Regina found herself whispering, reaching out to touch his cheek, to see, to feel if he was real.

"Good Morning" Daniel said, as though this, her waking up beside her was something normal

"What are you doing here?" She asked, causing the man to chuckle

"What am I doing here? Regina, darling I live here, with you"

"You do?"

"Why wouldn't I live with my wife?" Daniel chuckled

_Wife?_

And with that, Regina Mills suddenly felt the world go black.

_Chapter 2 to follow..._

* * *

**So, how'd I do? This wasn't exactly the direction I had planned on taking this story but, my muse decided that this would be so much better. There are more twists and turns in store. I'll probably post a few chapters soon. Thanks so much for the love you guys, don't forget to R&R!**


	2. The New Curse

**Thanks so much for your reviews, favorites and follows on this story. I promise not to give up on "Together Someday" and "The Shadow Man's Daughter". Just a piece of advice: Yes, Regina and everyone else in Storybrooke have been cursed by the Wicked Witch...however, things are a bit, different. Yes, I brought back Daniel and, threw in a couple of surprises as well-I'm evil, I know. I hope you all don't kill me too much. Oh, and Yes, I'm throwing in Flashbacks of FTL as well that will start immediately after they all return. I hope you all don't get too confused! **

**Xx**

* * *

When she came to, two sets of eyes were staring up at her. One set she distinctively knew, another set, she did not, and that frightened her.

"Is she okay daddy?"

_Daddy?_

"I'm sure she'll be fine honey" She heard Daniel tell, whoever was in the room with her.

"Regina?" Daniel's voice called out to her from whatever hazy, fog she was in. Groaning once, Regina opens her eyes, only to have her heart stop once again. Sitting next to Daniel, was a little girl, at least Henry's age, maybe a year older, younger, she couldn't tell. She just knew that this girl had very, _distinct characteristics_ that made the hairs on the mayor's neck stand up. Her dark hair, her eyes. If she didn't think this whole thing to be a delusion, she'd swear that this girl was her...

"Mom, are you okay?"

And with that, Regina swore she died just a little bit more.

_Mom?_

_When the hell did__** this**__ happen?_ She wondered

"Honey, I'm sure your mother's fine" Daniel told their daughter

"I hope so; she's supposed to take me to soccer practice today" the girl said with a smile

"Christine, I'm sure your mother will be just fine to take you to soccer practice this afternoon. Now go on and get dressed or else you'll miss the school bus"

"Alright" The girl said with a smile and an eye roll as she made her way to Regina's side of the bed, leaning to press a kiss to her mother's cheek.

"I hope, whatever it is that's going on with you that you'll be okay. I think it was those drinks she had with Aunt Z last night" Christine whispered to her father who simply shook his head, a smirk dancing on his features as he shooed the girl out of the bedroom, turning to face Regina.

"You really should be more careful, I'm pretty sure she knows that you've got a hangover" Daniel said with an amused look on his face.

"_Hangover_? Daniel, I don't drink; _what the hell are you talking about_?" Regina said, utterly confused as Daniel laughed

"Yeah, you didn't used to drink; it wasn't until your mother died last year that-"

"What? No, Daniel, my mother's been dead-"

"Since last year"

"No, she's been dead longer than that because I..."

"Because you what, Regina?"

"Okay, Daniel, I'm going to need you to fill me in on what's going on" Regina said slowly; she had to gather her thoughts if she was going to get to the bottom of everything.

"Well, we've only been together for, just over a year, not long after your mother died" Daniel explained

"But-"

"How's Christine that old?" Daniel said, finishing the thought for her

"Yes; is she-"

"She's yours"

"But-"

"You had her when I came back; I assumed you used magic or, something...because she looks an awful lot like us, but like I said even though I'm pretty sure she's not mine, I love her just the same"he said with a shrug

"Wait, you, _you know that I use magic_?"

"Yes, I know everything Regina"

"_Everything_?"

"Yes, you told me about everything after you brought me back..._from the dead_"

"What? I-"

"When Dr. Whale put that, that heart into me. You and...Mr. Gold I believe his name was, found a way to fix everything and, well here I am"

"Daniel...something, something doesn't feel right. I need, I need to talk to Mr. Gold" Regina said moving to get out of bed

"Regina...Mr. Gold is, _dead_, remember? He died when he killed Pan" Daniel said, immediately causing her to whip around and look at him

"You know about...Pan too?"

"Yes, I know about Pan and Neverland and-"

"_And Henry_?"

"Who?"

"Henry, my son!"

"Regina...you don't have a son named Henry" Daniel said, causing her heart to stop for the third time that day.

"Wh-what did you say?"

"I said, that you don't have a son named Henry"

"But, but-"

"You, Snow, Charming, Hook, and Rumpelstiltskin and I went to Neverland to save Christine from Pan. He wanted her heart, remember? _The Heart of the Truest Believer_"

"Christine?"

"Yes, Regina, what on earth is going on? I think you've spending far too much time with your sister" Daniel said, making Regina pause for a moment

"Sister? Daniel, I don't have a sister..."

"Regina, don't be ridiculous; you have a sister, Zelena" Daniel said shaking his head with a sigh, watching as his wife quickly made her way to the door.

"Regina, Regina, where are you going?"

"To talk to Snow!" She said, heading down the stairs two at a time, causing her daughter to look at her with surprise

"Mom! Where are you going?" Christine asked

"I'm going to talk to Snow...I'll be back soon" She said in rush, ignoring the sounds of the girl calling her name as she left their house.

xx

Once outside, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Everything around her seemed...exactly as it had before she cast the curse that was to take them back to The Enchanted Forest. So, if everything appeared to be the same then...why the hell was Daniel upstairs, in her house, in her bed speaking such preposterous things like, there being no Henry and her having a sister. Needing to compose herself, Regina took a few deep breaths before heading towards her car, driving to the one place she hated going, but was sure to get answers: Snow and Charming's. Once she got there, her feet quickly carried her up to their loft as knocked on the door, hoping that they could help her remember something. It only took a split second before Charming opened the door, a look of disgust in his eyes at seeing the former Evil Queen.

"_No_"

"Charming-"

"Whatever it is that you've done, this curse-"

"That's exactly what I was coming to talk to you and Snow about" Regina said, causing Charming's anger to fade away, just a little bit.

"Why do you want to talk to us about a curse _you_ cast?"

"Because that's just it Charming: _I** didn't** cast this curse_" Regina said, causing the Prince to snort.

"_Right_, and why should I believe you?"

"Because, why the_ hell_ would I cast a curse after going to Neverland to save Henry...only to wake up in bed next to Daniel and a child that isn't Henry?" Regina said as Charming gave her a strange look

"What?"

"...Did you say, _Daniel_?"

"That's right; Daniel's here"

"Wait, _Daniel's here_? In Storybrooke..._and he's alive_?"

"Well isn't that what I just said?!"

"That doesn't-"

"Make any sense?"

"No...something, something about this entire thing seems off"

"Obviously; what's the last thing you remember?"

"Well, I remember standing at the town line, saying goodbye to Emma and Henry and then...I woke up here and..."

"And what?"

"You should come inside Regina" David said, stepping aside so that she could come in. What she saw when she entered was a complete surprise. Sitting there at the bar were three young children, all with hair like Charming's.

"Don't tell me..."

"I woke up with kids I never knew I had and..."

"_What's she doing here_?" Snow asked as she came down the stairs, the sight of her very swollen belly causing Regina's eyes to widen.

"Snow's pregnant!?"

"Yes, but we can't remember how she got pregnant...or where the other 3 children came from" Charming said with a sigh

"And the worst part is, no one in this town we've talked remembers Emma or Henry" Snow said, causing Regina's heart to sink: they were the only ones in the town who knew what had really happened. The town had been completely cursed once again and this time there was no savior to break it.

* * *

_The Enchanted Forest-1 Year Ago..._

_She could feel herself being sucked away from Storybrooke in the huge cloud of purple smoke. The sound of the wind howling was damn near excruciating to her ears. Her stomach began to do flips as she felt the ground beneath her move, pulling her forward into the air. She was being sucked away, back to her own realm, never to see Henry again. She'd hated moving through portals for this very reason. It was the only downside in the cast she had curse, as well as when she'd traveled to Neverland through that damned portal. _

_Now, she was being sucked through yet another portal in less than a year's time. However, this time, there was no going back. No more modern technology, warm baths, her thousand count sheets, no Henry...She was going back to The Enchanted Forest, a place that now held memories of unpleasantness and lots of pain. When she opened her eyes again, they were in the middle of an open field, the smell of the forest permeating her nostrils. Snow was the first of the group to breach the silence, stating rather sadly._

"_We're back"_

_Their return was less than stellar, at least for Regina it was. This place, was foreign to her; it didn't seem like home. Storybrooke, was home; sadly it was a home she would never know again. This, well, she'd have a hard time trying to adjust. No more wonderful food from Granny's diner, now all she'd have, was that damned porridge. Before, when she was The Evil Queen, it was a delicacy; now that she was The Former Evil Queen, well the goo just didn't tickle her fancy anymore. Plus, there was that constant, dull ache in her chest that longed for Henry, to hold him in her arms again. It was Snow who pulled her out of her thoughts, suggesting that since they were back that they should stand united. _

_Of course she absentmindedly agreed, mostly because she knew that if she didn't well, she'd be dead by sunset. Soon, the group made their way towards Regina's, no **their **castle. It would take some time getting used to but, she knew that she would, dare she say it, need The Charming's if she were to make it through losing Henry. She held her head high as they traveled, her resolve remaining that of the cold heartless queen. That is, until her mind suddenly became flooded with memories of her life in Storybrooke, her time with Henry. She could hear his laugh, see his smile, feel his pain. She could remember him telling her that she was no longer a villain, but a hero. That, was enough to drive the Queen insane. Needing a moment to herself, she took the opportunity to steal away and rid herself of those memories once and for all. Of course, Snow noticed her absence and quickly followed, where the princess was shocked to find her step mother trying to bury her heart._

_It took Snow and her speech of 'moving on and trying to be happy for Henry' that broke Regina's resolve. Damn her for using Henry against her, it was enough to make Regina put her heart back into her chest. She wasn't able to ignore the anguish she felt once the wretched thing was back inside her body. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, she and Snow were attacked by...what, she wasn't sure. Thankfully, they were saved by a dashing...no, what was she thinking? He wasn't dashing, he was a thief; Robin Hood. She didn't like him, or his Merry Men and she made sure to let them know that. Snow however, seemed intent on playing match maker for the Queen and the Outlaw. He thought she was a bitch and she thought he smelled like forest. _

_Much to Regina's dismay, once they arrived at her castle, something was...off. She couldn't get into the damned thing. Someone had the nerve to hijack her palace? Those imbeciles would surely pay the price. Luckily, Robin Hood had a camp not that far from her palace, and everyone agreed that they would go there and then try and come up with a strategy. What everyone wasn't counting on, was for another one of those, winged creatures to attack. This time however, a small child was caught in its crossfires. Almost instantly, Regina's maternal instincts kicked in, causing her to swoop down and grab the boy, turning the monkey into a toy._

_It didn't take long for them to figure out who had done this: That damn Wicked Witch. Why she was here, in Regina's castle, no one had a clue. However, they all knew that once Regina got through with the Witch, she would ever regret messing with the Queen._

_xx_

"_I can't thank you enough, for saving my son" Robin Hood said to The Evil Queen who, all of a sudden, didn't seem so evil._

"_It's nothing; I may have done a lot of things in my past but, I could never, ever see a child harmed" The Queen said dismissively before dramatically turning to walk away._

"_Wait!" A small voice called out to her, causing her to turn around._

"_Yes?" She said, a softer look in her eyes as she smiled down at the young boy gazing up at her with wonder._

"_I, I didn't say thank you" The boy, Roland said softly, a look of bashfulness appearing on his rosy cheeks_

"_Well, you're welcome" The Queen said before turning in the other direction_

"_Excuse me, your ma'jesty?"_

"_Yes"_

"_Could I, walk with you?" Roland asked, causing The Evil Queen's small smile to turn into an even bigger one._

"_That's...only if your father, is okay with it?" The Queen said, glancing back at Robin Hood_

"_I am in your debt, your Majesty; after all, you did save my son" Robin Hood said with a bow_

"_Very well then, come with me" She said, extending a hand for the young boy to take, smiling even more as he eagerly took her hand as they headed towards his father's campsite._

_The walk soon proved to be quite tedious for the young boy, who quickly started to fall behind._

"_Are you, tired, Roland?" The Queen soon found herself asking_

"_...No" Roland said, trying to show that he was a tough as his father, causing The Queen to chuckle_

"_Roland, it isn't nice to lie" She said with a smile, causing the boy's head to droop in shame_

"_It's alright to be tired; in fact, I'm quite tired myself...how about we find a horse to ride on, shall we?"_

"_We can do that?" Roland asked, his eyes full of wonder_

"_It's either that or, I could carry you" She said; Roland of course, opted to be carried. The feeling of having the young boy in her arms brought back a familiar ache in her chest. She hadn't carried a boy this small since..._

_xx_

"_Are you alright?" Snow's voice asked, starling The Queen out of her thoughts_

"_I'm fine" _

"_...Roland seems to have taken a liking to you" Snow said with a smile, earning a glare form her step mother_

"_He was attacked by a flying monkey and I saved him, what do you expect?"_

"_I think it's more than that plus, I think his father kind of likes you too" Snow went on_

"_I already told you, he smells like forest" She replied, causing her step daughter to shake her head._

"_Henry would like him-"_

"_Don't! Don't bring up Henry"_

"_I didn't mean to upset you; look Regina, this is hard for me too but. We need to try and be happy, for Henry's sake, for Emma's" Snow said just as they reached Robin Hood's camp._

* * *

"_Alright everyone, let's regroup, get some food and then we'll discuss our plans for how to attack The Wicked Witch" Charming said as everyone begin to slowly unwind and prepare themselves for their first night back in The Enchanted Forest._

"_I hope carrying him here wasn't too much of a burden" Robin Hood said, startling The Queen_

"_No, it was fine" she said, staring down at Roland, who was now gazing up at her sleepily_

"_Did you have a good sleep?" Regina asked, smiling down at the young boy_

"_Uh huh; you smell really nice"_

"_Thank You" _

"_Alright Roland, I think The Queen's had enough-"_

"_No! I want to stay with her" Roland protested, but before Robin could make any arguments, Regina held up her hand._

"_He's quite fine; I actually enjoy his company"_

"_If, if you insist"_

"_I do, Roland and I will be just fine, won't we?" She said, reaching out to tap his nose, making the boy giggle_

"_Yes, can I sit with her Papa, please?"_

"_I don't see why not" Robin said before walking away as Regina found a seat on a nearby log so that she could sit with Roland in her lap._

"_What's your real name?" The boy suddenly asked, fiddling with her necklace_

"_My real name?"_

"_Uh huh"_

"_Well, my friends, call me Regina" She said with a smile_

"_Am I your friend, Regina?"_

"_I'd like it if you were my friend Roland"_

"_Good, because you're my friend too" The boy said, taking her hand in his, intertwining their fingers together as they sat there, talking and sharing secrets by the fire for the rest of the evening. It didn't quite soothe the pain of losing Henry but, a friend was a nice place to start..._

_Chapter 3 to follow..._

* * *

**Are you all enjoying this so far? Lemme know after you've R&R'd!**

**Take Care!**

**Xx**


	3. The Evil Queen

**So, to clarify: Yes, The Wicked Witch/Zelena has cast a new curse that is somewhat similar, yet totally offset to Regina's. With this curse, nothing is as it was before. She altered memories that stemmed back to their EF(Enchanted Forest) days. However, with The Wicked Witch's curse, Storybrooke was saved after Rumple killed Pan-meaning Regina NEVER cast her curse to send them back to TEF. Now, the effects of the new curse:**

**Everyone remembers Snow and Charming giving birth to Emma, but they have no memory of her or Henry ever showing up in Storybrooke to break the original curse. They just assumed she died or, something like that.**

**Yes, I made The Wicked Witch stick out like a sore thumb, but again no one knows exactly who she truly is. **

**If you've ever seen the movie "Man in the Iron Mask" that's sort of the scenario that I'm going with for Zelena's part in the curse. She was Regina's sister who was sent away by whom everyone believed to be Regina, because she felt threatened by her. Somehow once the curse was broken, she surfaced and now she and Regina are "best friends" because her being locked away was actually their mother's fault. **

**Yes, Cora was still killed (because she had a hand in casting the first curse)**

**The BIG twist, is that Regina now has a "replacement Henry". Christine is the town's new Henry and so everything that happened to Henry, now happened to Christine under the new curse. **

**Yes, Daniel is here; somehow he escaped death again during season 2 with the help of Gold and Regina.**

**Yes, Regina's still the Mayor**

**Be on the look out for odd pairings and other surprises**

**Yes, Robin Hood is in Storybrooke and so is Roland (:**

**The good news, is that there are somethings that happened back in TEF that have yet to manifest themselves, things that even Zelena wasn't expecting. The curse CAN and will be broken, though The Wicked Witch doesn't know this, and our 3 heroes (Charming, Snow and Regina) are working on a way to break the curse. Yes, I know it seems weird to only have Snow, Charming and Regina to remember but there is a significance as to why Snow and Charming aren't' really affected by the new curse. Also, yes OutalwQueen does/did happen; you'll see it being told in both Storybrooke and TEF. I hope you're all enjoying this so far!**

**Happy reading...my pretties * Wicked Witch Laugh ***

**Xx**

* * *

"Okay, Regina...how did this happen?" Snow asked her step mother as she stood in the middle of their loft.

"If I knew what was going on, do you _honestly_ think I'd be standing here asking you?"

"Well, this has your hand prints all over it"

"Again, why the _hell _would I cast a curse where no one remembers anything-"

"Because it's what you did the last time; you erased everyone's memories-"

"Well, since you're so smart, answer me this: why the _**hell**_ would I erase everyone's memories, only to wake up and find that Daniel is here and Henry apparently never existed?!"

"Wait...what? _Daniel's here_?"

"Yes, Daniel" Regina said, growing very uncomfortable at the mention of his name

"Daniel's..._back_?"

"Yes, and apparently...he and I are married" Regina said softly with a laugh, holding up her left hand, which housed a very large and rather expensive wedding ring

"But, that's impossible; Daniel's-"

"_Dead_? Yes I know, I'm the one who had to kill him..._for the second time_..."

"Regina, that makes no sense" Snow said

"_Which is exactly what I'm saying_! How the _hell_ did this happen? And when did you get so...s_o pregnant_!?"

"_If I knew_, do you really think I'd be asking _you_ that Regina?"

"Look, there has to be some, plausible explanation for this" Charming said

"Yes, someone else has cursed us" Regina said

"How can you be so sure?"

"You tell me Snow, you tell me..."Regina said, just as one of the three children, a little girl walked up to them, tugging on Snow's dress.

"Mommy, I spilled my milk on accident" the little girl said, looking over at Regina for a moment

"Good Morning Aunt Regina" she said with a smile

"_Aunt Regina_?"

"Yes; you didn't wanna be called Grandma so-"

"_Whoa_, I'm not..._grandma, __**really**_? Your kids just_ had_ to call me grandma huh Snow?" Regina said to her stepdaughter

"Look, I'm just as confused as you are Regina" Snow said before turning back towards her, daughter

"Uh, sweetie, why don't you just...grab a paper towel and, clean up your milk" Snow said with a smile as the girl simply shrugged

"Well, okay if you say so" the girl said before turning away

"How is this possible; those kids look-"

"Between the ages of 8 and 5" Charming said

"And, they should be at school" Regina said, thinking of her own, 'kid' who mentioned something about, going to school.

"What are you thinking about?" Charming asked

"I'm thinking...that you should take the little munchkins to school and then we meet back up at Granny's to try and really figure things out"

"alright, I can do that; uh, kids, get your things...I'm taking you to school" Charming said, rather awkwardly as the three children immediately obeyed.

xx

"Now there's a sentence I'd never thought I'd hear Charming say" Regina muttered as she watched the prince usher the children out the front door, each of them saying goodbye to both Snow and Regina.

"How are you feeling?" Snow asked

"What?"

"I said, how are you feeling, about Daniel being back?"

"I don't feel anything; because I know that this isn't real" Regina said quietly

"It must've freaked you out to see him this morning"

"Let's not talk about, Daniel right now; right now, I want to focus on who cursed us, and how the hell do we break the damn thing" Regina said

* * *

_Sherwood Forest-1 Year ago_

"_You've been sitting here for quite some time your majesty and, Roland's since long fallen asleep" Robin Hood said, taking a seat next to Regina_

"_He's, nice company"_

"_Ah..." Robin nodded_

"_What?"_

"_Nothing just, I never thought I'd see the day that The Evil Queen held a child"_

"_You say that like I'm the most-"_

"_You cast a curse that ruined an entire population, you've killed hundreds of people, you cast a sleeping curse on Snow White"_

"_If you think I'm such a horrible person, here, take him" Regina said angrily as she stood up, read to deposit Roland into his father's arms. However, the boy wasn't willing to budge_

"_No, don't go"the young boy muttered in his sleep, his small hands, grasping at the front of Regina's top. Robin could see the conflict in the Queen's eyes and sighed heavily_

"_Look, I mean no harm your majesty"_

"_Stop calling me that! My name, is Regina" she said firmly_

"_Okay, Regina; I meant no harm by what I said-"_

"_Oh, save it! You and everyone in this godforsaken land are exactly the same! You think I just, woke up one morning and decided 'oh, let's turn into The Evil Queen'. I hate to break it to you, dead but, evil is born, not made. Now, since I'm such a cold, heartless bitch, please kindly, remove your son from me...and leave me the hell alone" Regina said, her voice dangerously low as her eyes showed nothing but anger and despair. Silently, Robin obliged, carefully plucking Roland from Regina's arms._

"_I really am sorry, Regina" Robin said quietly_

"_Get out of my sight...I don't know what I was thinking of saving him anyways" Regina spat out as Robin simply turned and walked away._

xx

"_You didn't mean that" Snow said with a sigh_

"_Yes I did"_

"_I saw that exchange, between you and Robin ya know"_

"_Did you also hear the part where he thinks of me just like everyone else in this place?"_

"_Regina-"_

"_I killed my mother! I almost got electrocuted to death by some crazed maniac! I got on a boat with a bunch of people who hated me, went to Neverland, fought off Peter Pan, I saved Storybrooke from being destroyed and I gave up the thing I love most, never to see him again...but still, all I am is an Evil, Queen" Regina shouted before standing_

"_Regina-"_

"_Don't come after me Snow!"_

"_Regina, please!"_

"_If you take one more step I swear I won't hesitate in doing what I should've done years ago, and that's rip your heart out and crush it" Regina said_

"_You don't have to do this, go back to the darkness" Snow called out after her step mother_

"_And what **do** I have to live for exactly? No one here is going to accept me; hell, no one here even thanked me for what I've done to protect them..."_

"_Regina, please don't go!"_

"_Once an Evil Queen, always an Evil Queen" Regina said quietly_

"_Regina..."_

"_Gold was right; villains like us, we don't get happy endings" She said_

_And in a cloud of purple smoke, The Evil Queen was gone._

_Chapter 4 to follow..._


	4. Not so Bad After All

**Your reviews are awesome! Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing and favoriting this story! Wow, you Oncers are just, awesome, I can't tell you how much this means to me! I think this chapter will start off as a continuation of what happened back in TEF.**

**Xx**

* * *

"_She's right" Snow said as she stood there staring at where Regina had vanished from mere minutes ago._

"_Snow-"_

"_No, she's right; she's done so much, she's sacrificed so much for us but...all we see is an Evil Queen"_

"_Snow-"_

"_No, Charming; Regina wasn't always that woman, that dark and evil woman she is now. When I met her, she was so full of life, so full of love...until I took that away from her"_

"_You were just a child Snow, you-"_

"_And so was she! When I met Regina she was barely 18 and, from what I've heard...growing up with Cora wasn't so pleasant. I mean, you saw that first hand when Cora came to Storybrooke"_

"_Snow, I get that Regina's had some messed up things happen to her but, that doesn't excuse what she's done"_

"_But think of all of the good she's done. Charming, she gave up her son to save us from Pan's curse. She traveled to Neverland with us, she was the one who ripped Henry's heart out of Pan. Regina was the one who stopped Greg and Tamara from destroying Storybrooke. She was the one...Regina essentially killed her mother, for us" Snow said softly, causing her husband to sigh_

"_You're right; she did all of those things for us; she made sure that Emma and Henry were together...she gave them what we couldn't; she gave them a happy ending" Charming said_

"_And we've never said thank you, or acknowledged what she's done for us"_

"_It's my fault" Robin said with a sigh as he emerged from his tent_

"_Robin-"_

"_No, I set her off; she saved my son from those, bloody creatures and, what do I do? I insult the woman. I'm going to find her" he said_

"_Robin, no; it's dangerous" Snow argued_

"_That flying thing, was after Regina"_

"_How can you be so-"_

"_That's the second time that thing has attacked. It didn't want Roland, it wanted Regina"_

"_He's right; when we were first attacked, it went after Regina...we have to go find her" Snow said_

"_And we will; we'll set up a few small search parties" Charming said_

"_I'm coming with you"_

"_No; you're staying. There are flying monkeys out there Snow"_

"_But-"_

"_Please, your highness, I need someone to look after my boy Roland" Robin said_

"_Just, find her...please" Snow whispered_

xx

Once they arrived at Granny's, everything looked the same, though the atmosphere felt completely different. It had that same, weird vibe as it did when Regina had first cast her curse. Granny was rather eager to see Snow and Regina as they entered the diner.

"Good Morning Snow, Mayor Mills" Granny said as she came towards their table, a strange smile on her face.

"Good Morning, what will it be ladies?"

"Uh, I'll just have tea Granny, thank you"

"And for you Regina?"

"I'll have coffee Granny, thank you"

"Coming right up"

"Okay is it me or-"

"Does Granny seem, overly happy" Regina muttered, gasping suddenly

"Regina, what is it?"

"Well now we know why Granny's so happy; look!" Regina said as she and Snow turned to find Granny giving Geppetto a kiss

"Wow, that's not something you see every day" Snow said as the bell jingled, signaling another customer who turned out to be Charming

"Okay...I've known you for a long time but, you wouldn't happen to have a sister, would you?" Charming said to Regina

"What? Okay, that's the second time I've been told about this, sister I never knew existed"

"Maybe, it's part of the curse too; maybe your mother-"

"My mother is dead Snow, you and I both know that-"

"Hey! Get back here you little scoundrel!" Granny shouted as a small boy quickly ran out of the diner, causing Snow, Charming and Regina to follow the small crowd outside

"What's going on Granny?"

"The little thief snuck in through the back door and-" Granny began, just as everyone let out a collective gasp; there was a car coming, and the little boy was blindly running straight towards it. Somehow, she's still not sure but, Regina made it across the street in an instant, pushing the boy out of the way as the car swerved in another direction, hitting a pole.

As everyone else rushed in the direction of the person in the car, Regina stayed with the young boy, who looked utterly scared and alone.

"Are you alright?" she asked, crouching down so that she was on the boy's level

"Am I gonna go to jail?" The boy asked, his eyes rather large and filled with terror

"No, no, it's alright...why were you stealing from Granny's?"

"I, I was hungry and-"

"Regina, you have to come quick...the man in the car, it's Daniel" Snow told her, instantly sending her heart plummeting into her stomach

"Alright, Snow, make sure this boy-"

"I'll take care of him, I promise" Snow said, pulling the boy into a hug, as far as her belly would allow her to

"Wait! I, I didn't thank you, for saving me" he said, bowing his head in a rather shameful manner

"What's your name?"

"...My name's, Roland" the young boy said as Regina stared at him before quickly heading towards the car where Daniel was.

* * *

"_I shouldn't have said those things to her" Robin Hood said quietly as he and some of his merry men and Charming walked through The Enchanted Forest_

"_Regina's...a complicated woman to understand" Charming said with a sigh_

"_I heard, what Snow White said about the Queen and, what she said about herself"_

"_Regina, she had a hard life"_

"_I'd heard tales of her not starting out this way but, I never pegged them to be true"_

"_According to Snow, she wasn't always like this; she saved Snow when she was a child"_

"_She saved her?"_

"_Yeah, apparently, Regina used to be quite the horse rider"_

"_Regina, The Queen, on a horse? Now that I have a hard time imagining" Robin said with a laugh, just as they heard the sounds of a scuffle not too far ahead of them, along with the sounds of fire and screeching monkeys._

"_I think we found her" Charming said as they raced towards the commotion; of course they find that Regina is trying to fend off a ward of flying monkeys, by herself. It only takes a moment for arrows and swords to start flying. _

"_What are you doing here?" Regina growled before throwing another fireball_

"_We're here to save you, because apparently, you need it" Robin called back as a fireball whizzed past his head_

"_You've got a good aim m'lady" Robin said, though Regina wasn't paying him much attention seeing as she was trying to fight off one of those damned flying monkeys that was trying to pull her into the air._

"_Regina!" She heard Charming yell as he chased after the monkey that seemed to be picking up speed as Regina's feet dangled in the air_

"_I'm going to shoot it down" Robin said _

"_You could shoot her!" _

"_No; believe me mate, I never, miss" Robin said, pulling his bow back as he prepared to aim at the flying creature. Sure enough, his arrow didn't miss, hitting the monkey directly in the chest, causing the beast to let out a scream before plummeting to the ground, dropping Regina to the ground in the process. The creature quickly falls into a heap of dust once it reaches the ground. Regina however, does not; she lies there, still and lifeless._

"_Is she alright?" Charming asks as Robin is the first to rush to her aid_

"_Is she breathing?" Charming asks as he too rushes to the Queen's side._

_Robin, being the closest to her, leans in, trying to see if he could hear her heart beating._

"_She is, but it's rather faint"_

"_Let's get her back to camp" Charming says as Robin gently scoops Regina up into his arms. The entire time he carries her, he can't help but be intoxicated by her alluring smell as well as her beauty. Maybe, she wasn't such a bad Queen after all..._

_Chapter 5 to follow..._


	5. Hope

**Wow, 13 reviews and nearly 30 people following this story and It's barely been 24 hours since I posted this? Man, you Oncers really are amazing! My favorite review so far, has been by Once Upon an Awesome who said:**

"**Congratulations! You have just ruined my life...IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE!" That comment really made me smile. And for those of you who are torn between Daniel and Robin, I'm sorry! I ship StableQueen too but, that damn OutlawQueen has me enthralled. It's like BOOM! I start reading OUAT fics and everybody's suddenly shipping Regina and Robin. I think it's the fact that Regina could FINALLY get a man and be, ya know...happy that has people's feels going crazy. Then there's the chemistry between Sean and Lana which makes your feels go berserk even more plus...how cute is Roland? And...I've gotta get my feels back in check. *takes a deep breath* Okay, now that I'm calm again. For those of you who've been asking for more Roland/Regina moments after reading "Friends", I promise you that there will be quite a bit of that in this story. Any who, I won't bore you much longer with the craziness of my brain so, enjoy chapter 5. Oh, and I'm altering time, just a little bit; in reality, it's been a year, but in everyone else's minds, it's only been a few weeks since Pan was defeated by Rumple. You'll get why I'm doing this soon enough...**

**Xx**

* * *

Everything had begun to happen so fast; she woke up this morning with no memory of what she assumed was the last year of her life, seeing as Snow was very pregnant, leading her to assume that about a year had passed. The town, her town, had been put under a new curse and no one remembered anything except for herself, Snow and Charming. Now, her pretend/cursed husband had just been in what appeared to be a very serious accident. Giving the little boy, Roland one last glance, Regina quickly races towards the small crowd that was starting to gather around the car, and Daniel.

"Move, move, move! Daniel, Daniel can you hear me?" Regina said to her lover. It was so crazy; Daniel was dead and yet, she had such, real feelings for him, feeling of concern and fear.

"Regina, we need to get him to the hospital" Charming told her as she slowly backed away from Daniel, allowing a couple of the men to put him on a stretcher and be carried to the ambulance.

"What the hell happened?" Charming asked

"That boy, stole something from my shop and almost got himself killed and the Mayor tried to save him" Granny said, pointing to the boy who stood talking to Snow.

"Granny, how, how many times has that boy been in your shop?"

"Too many to count"

"Where, where are his parents?" Regina asked

"Never seen 'em; his mother died sometime back and the father...no one knows who he is"

"Well he had to come from somewhere"

"He's been in the orphanage since the day he was born" Granny said, a bit irritated

For some strange reason, Regina found herself drawn to the young boy, causing her to walk towards him.

"Regina, where are you going?"

"To talk the boy...maybe he can help us with, you know what" Regina said to Charming, giving him a look before making her way towards Mary Margret and, Roland.

xx

"Regina, is Daniel alright?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine; I want to make sure that our friend here, is okay" Regina said with a smile as the young boy looked down at her

"You said your name was Roland, right?"

"Uh huh...am I gonna go to jail?"

"No dear, why ever would you think that?"

"Because you're the mayor and, I stole from Granny and that man in the car was your husband" Roland said, his voice now shaking as tears filled his eyes.

"I don't wanna go to jail, please don't send me there"

"Oh, shhh, shhh, you're quite alright Roland, no one is going to send you to jail. Now, tell me, why were you stealing from Granny's?"

"Because, they don't feed us very much at the home"

"Well why not?"

"I dunno; the lady over the home, she's really mean"

"Well who is this lady? I want to talk to her personally"

"...Your sister" Roland said, causing Snow and Regina to look at one another

"You mean, Zelena?"

"Uh huh; she's really mean and, she's scary" Roland said, still holding onto Regina's blouse, quietly inhaling the scent of her perfume

"You smell good Madam Mayor" Roland said, causing the woman to smile

"Nonsense; you, can call me Regina" she said with a smile

"Okay; you smell really good, Regina" Roland said, a bashful smile now appearing on his face as Regina gently wiped away his tears

"Are you still hungry Roland?"

"Yes"

"What do you say I take you to Granny's and buy you a meal, maybe get you some cocoa with cinnamon...how does that sound?"

"It sounds really good"

"And then after that, I'll go and talk to Zelena myself...would you like that?"

"Do I have to go back there? I really don't want to"

"...How about I make a deal with her and granny; I keep you under my watch and you pay off your debt to Granny by sweeping up the diner in the afternoons with a promise never to steal again. Do we have a deal?"

"...It's a deal!" Roland said with a smile that Regina swore made her heart beat just a little bit faster.

* * *

"_What the hell happened to her?" Snow asked as soon as she saw Robin carrying Regina back to camp_

"_Papa, what's wrong with Regina?" young Roland asked, immediately running towards his father and the woman in his arms._

"_What are you doing up young man? When I left you were sound asleep" Robin said to his young son_

"_I was but, I woke up because I had a bad dream about the monkeys that attacked me and..."_

"_He was looking for Regina" Snow interjected_

"_Papa, is she dead?" Roland asked, taking one of Regina's hands into his own_

"_No Roland, but she is hurt quite bad" Robin admitted_

"_Will she be okay? She has to protect me from the monkey's...she's my friend" Roland said, tears filling his eyes_

"_We're going to do our very best to make sure that the Queen-"_

"_Her name's Regina"_

"_Right, sorry; we're going to do everything we can to make sure that...**Regina**, is okay"_

"_You promise Papa?"_

"_I promise you Roland"_

xx

_With that Roland seemed somewhat pleased, at least enough to sit with Snow while they made sure Regina was okay. He didn't know why but, the boy felt like he needed the woman. She made the monkeys go away with her magic; no one else had magic that could do what Regina's did. Plus, she was nice, she was warm, very pretty and she smelled very good. Roland was practically asleep on Snow's shoulder when he saw his father and Prince Charming come out of the tent where they had taken Regina not so long ago._

"_Is she alright?"_

"_She'll be fine; minor concussion, a couple nasty bruises, a few broken ribs but, she should be okay. Mad as hell when she wakes up in all that pain but, fine nonetheless" Charming said, causing both Snow and Roland to release the breath they had been holding_

"_Wow, you're really worried about Regina aren't you Roland?" Snow said with a smile as she looked down at him_

"_Regina's my friend" Roland said softly as looked up at the princess_

"_Is Regina your friend Snow?"_

"_Uh yeah, Regina's my...friend; but you know what?"_

"_What?" _

"_She's my step mother too"_

"_Really?"_

"_That's right"_

"_Was she a good stepmother? I never had a mother before" Roland asked_

"_Yes, Roland; Regina was a very good stepmother to me for a very long time" Snow said, thinking back on how sweet and kind Regina used to be to her, before the darkness took over._

"_Do you think Regina will be alright?"_

"_Regina's strong; I'm sure she will be" Snow said with an affirmative nod as Roland leaned up to whisper in her ear_

"_Did you know Regina has magic? It's how she saved me" Roland informed Snow in a whisper, causing the Princess to chuckle, playing along_

"_Why no Roland, I didn't know that"_

"_Maybe she can show you some of her magic when she wakes up!" Roland said excitedly_

"_She has to wake up first though" Roland said with a sigh_

"_She will; hey, why don't you and I go sit with her for a while?" Snow suggested_

"_Really?"_

"_I think Regina will be quite pleased to see you when she wakes up. You know, she had a little boy, a long time ago"_

"_She did?"_

"_Mmhm; his name was Henry"_

"_Where's Henry now?"_

"_He's with my daughter, Emma in a far away place"_

"_Well, can't Regina use her magic to bring them here?"_

"_She can't, because Peter Pan cast a curse that sent us all back here, and left Emma and Henry in another realm"_

"_Do you think Regina misses Henry?"_

"_Oh, she misses him a lot; but you, you make Regina very happy Roland; she won't admit that but, you remind her so much of Henry"_

"_Do you miss your daughter Snow?" Roland asked as they reached Regina's tent_

"_...All the time Roland; I miss Emma every single day. But we'll find a way back to her and Henry"_

"_But how?"_

"_We have to have hope" Snow said with a smile as they entered the tent._

* * *

_The sight of Regina lying there, so still made Snow think of the time when she'd been tortured by Greg and Tamara. Swallowing hard, Snow took a seat by the older woman, taking one of her small hands into hers, gently rubbing her thumb along the pad of her wrist. Roland however, had a much different approach, seeing as he climbed onto the bed next to the Queen._

"_Oh, Roland you shouldn't-"_

"_Once upon a Time, there was a Queen, named Regina. She was really really sad because she lost her son Henry. But one day, she used her magic to find him and bring him here. Me, and Henry, and Regina and my Papa would play together forever, The End" Roland said as he curled up next to Regina and promptly fell asleep, leaving Snow awake to stare at the beautiful sight in front of her. She too had begun to fall asleep when she was startled by someone entering the tent._

"_Didn't mean to startle you love; I was just looking for Roland...who seems to have made himself quite comfortable next to the Queen"_

"_He has; he told her a story and fell right to sleep"_

"_My son seems to have taken a liking to Regina"_

"_And Regina to Roland...he's good for her"_

"_Come again?"_

"_Roland, he's good for Regina" Snow said with a smile as she continued to watch the pair_

"_I wasn't going to say anything but, the way she reacted towards Roland; if I didn't know any better, I'd say the Queen had-"_

"_A son? She did, does actually"_

"_Well I haven't seen the lad, where is he?"_

"_...When Regina did the curse that brought us back here, she had to give him up as a result" Snow explained_

"_Well who's with the lad?"_

"_My daughter"_

"_Your-"_

"_Yes; she stayed to protect him"_

"_No wonder she seems so broken" Robin said, just as Regina begin to stir._

xx

_The Queen had no idea just how much everything was going to hurt. In fact, she couldn't remember much about what happened. What she did know, was that she was back here, in this wretched place again. A place where she didn't want to be._

"_Hey, welcome back" Snow said with a smile as Regina groaned_

"_What the hell happened?"_

"_Well your majesty, after you ran off, the Prince, my merry men and I found you warding off yet another attack of flying monkeys, this time there were several._

"_The flying monkeys attacked you again?" Snow asked_

"_I was fine" Regina growled_

"_And you were, until one took you by surprised and attempted to carry you away"_

"_And how the hell did I end up back here?" Regina asked rather dryly_

"_Well, lucky for you...my arrows never miss" Robin said with a grin._

_Just as Regina was about to give him a rather tart reply, her fellow bed mate began to stir._

"_Roland?" Regina asked, attempting to sit up, though she was met with a searing pain in her ribs_

"_Oh, careful, careful...you've got a couple broken bones there love" Robin said, carefully helping Regina sit up. It wasn't until he noticed the way she was looking at him that he realized, she was topless._

"_Oh, sorry about that" Robin mumbled, quickly pulling hands back as though they had been burned._

"_Where the hell are my clothes?"_

"_We had to get you out of them to tend to your wounds; you've got a couple broken ribs so-"_

"_Yeah, well I could've healed myself thank you" Regina snapped as Snow cleared her throat, signaling that Roland was still there next to her, causing the other woman's face to redden._

"_Regina! You're okay!" Roland said, throwing his arms around her, causing her eyes to widen in pain_

"_Roland, Roland, Roland, be careful son; the Queen's got some nasty bruises going on right now" Robin informed his son_

"_Oh, I'm sorry Regina"_

"_It's quite alright; how long have you been lying here Roland?"_

"_Not long after you got here; he insisted on making sure you were alright"_

"_Really?"_

"_Uh huh; you're my friend, right Regina?" The boy asked, his eyes full of an innocence she didn't know was quite possible_

"_Yes Roland, I'm your friend; and I'm very happy that you wanted to make sure I was okay" Regina said with a smile as Roland snuggled up next to her, taking the Queen by surprise_

"_Oh, I'm so sorry, he's just-"_

"_It's...fine; I just, I haven't had anyone cuddle into me like that since...well, in a very long time" Regina said quietly_

"_Since Henry?" Roland said, causing Regina's eyes to widen _

"_Who, who-"_

"_Snow told me; she said it's why you've been so sad. She said, I make you happy; do I make you happy Regina?" Roland asked, taking everyone in the room completely off guard. _

_She wasn't quite sure how to answer it; could he ever replace Henry? No, there was no one who could replace Henry in her heart, ever. Roland however did make the days seem more bearable for her. She did seem to enjoy his company very much and the way that he cared for her. Could she call it happiness? No, but this, whatever it was, felt very nice._

"_Yes Roland, you make me very happy" Regina said, carefully pulling the boy into a hug_

_Chapter 6 to follow..._


	6. Strange Connections

**Hello everyone! **

**Sorry for the long wait-I've been a little...preoccupied with School, Work and my feels exploding due to the enormous OutlawQueen stories being written. I'm so impressed with just how much you all love this story-you Oncers are amazing, I can't say that enough! Oh and I have to say now that, I'm not using Rebecca Mader as The Wicked Witch in my story, no. She doesn't look like Lana or Barbra Hershey or Rose McGowan(who plays the younger version of Cora). I, am using...Madeleine Stowe. You may know her from the show Revenge as Victoria Grayson. OR, if you're a Private Practice fan, she's Brian Benben(aka Sheldon Wallace) wife. Or, if you still don't know who she is, Google her. To me, those two resemble, just a bit...way more than Rebecca and Lana do-at least to me.**

* * *

There was something about this child that she just, she couldn't shake. In reality, she should be very angry with this kid. He was the reason Daniel was in the hospital. However, she found herself feeling the exact opposite; she was happy. There was something about Daniel being alive that just, unnerved her. She did the polite, wifely thing and went to check on him, though Whale said he would be unconscious for a while. That was a relief to her; once she did her duties as Daniel's wife, she made her way over to the orphanage where her supposed 'sister' worked.

"Yes, I'd like to see-"

"Regina, my darling sister! So nice to see you dear" A voice said, causing Regina to turn around

"Ah...Zelena" she said giving the woman the once over; it was odd just how much the two seemed to look alike. Though there was something in the other woman's eyes that unnerved the Queen, just a bit.

"How is Daniel doing?"

"Daniel's...fine; Whale said he'd be out of it for a while but, otherwise fine" Regina said, still staring at the woman.

"Regina, why are you staring at me like that?"

"Nothing I'm just...nothing; so, the boy who caused the accident this morning-"

"Ah, yes..._Roland_; where is the little twit? _Always running away_" Zelena said, her voice highly unpleasant at the mention of Roland.

"He's exactly who I wanted to talk to you about"

"What about him?"

"Well, I'd like to take him under my-"

"_Absolutely not_; I know what you're about to say and, the answer is no Regina"

"_How do you know_-"

"Because you think you can help him; _he can't be helped_"

"That's funny, coming from the woman who runs an orphanage. Isn't it your dream? To make sure all children have a good and safe home?"

"I never said I liked it here"

"So why are you-"

"It's because this is where _you_ placed me, _dear sister_"

"Well, I've decided that-"

"_And I said no_!"

"_Excuse me_? But the last time_ I _checked, I was still _mayor_ of this town; and I want to take Roland in, keep an eye on him myself, seeing as you can't seem to keep track of him...and what's this I hear about there not being enough food here at the shelter?"

"That's something you'll have to take up with the city council, _Madam Mayor_"

"Well, I'll see to it then"

"What are your plans for Roland?"

"I told granny that he'd work off his debt to her at the diner after school and that I'd personally see to it that he doesn't get into any trouble"

"That's it?"

"Yes, what were you thinking?"

"I thought you meant you wanted to adopt him?" Zelena said, a look of relief washing over her face.

_Adopting him_? That thought had never even crossed Regina's mind; she couldn't adopt him, as much as she felt, strangely drawn to him, she couldn't adopt him. No, adopting him would be like betraying Henry buy just, replacing him with another boy.

"Alright, fine; I can arrange for him to go to Granny's diner after school"

"Good; I'll be sure to bring him here once he's done" Regina said turning to walk away, but suddenly she stopped

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"What about his parents? I'm sure he-"

"His mother's dead; long dead. She died before the curse. His father...well he's a patient in the asylum"

"Well, who is he?"

"That's just it; no one knows. It were as if his entire memory had been erased. He remembers absolutely nothing"

"Not even from The Enchanted Forest?"

"Nothing"

"What-"

"Regina, it's best that you don't try and talk to him. The last person who did well...he's been in solitary confinement for, God years now I think? You won't be able to get to him" Zelena said before walking away. There was something about this, sister of hers that didn't quite sit well with Regina; and she was going to find out just what it was if it was the last thing she did.

xx

"So, Roland, why don't you tell me about yourself" Regina said to the young boy that afternoon as they sat in a booth near the front of Granny's diner.

"Well, I'm Roland, and I'm 5...I don't remember my papa, and my mama's with the angels" Roland said quietly, his eyes staring down at the mug of cocoa dashed with a hint of cinnamon in it.

"So you don't remember anything before that?"

"No; all I know is the home" he said

"Tell me something, how nice is Zelena?" Regina asked, noticing the way the boy's widened in fear of the other woman's name

"Oh, it's okay dear...we aren't exactly friends" Regina said with a smile

"But she's your sister though"

"We may be sisters but, that doesn't mean I have to like her"

"You don't like your sister?"

"Between you and me? No, not really" Regina said with a smile, causing Roland to giggle, just as Christine walked into the diner.

"Mom! Is it true! Did daddy really get hurt by..._what's_ _**he**_ _doing here_?" Christine asked, her arms folded as she sent Roland a glare

"Christine, this is Roland"

"I know who he is...the little thief"

"That wasn't very nice" Regina said to her 'daughter'

"It's what he is, a thief and he should be locked up in jail"

"Well, he's certainly paying for his crime"

"By having...wait, is that, cocoa with cinnamon in it!?" Christine shouted, snatching the mug away from Roland

"Yes, what's wrong with that?" Regina asked

"That's what I always get whenever we come here! Are you trying to replace me mom!?"

"What?"

"I know you and dad said you wanted another child but, come on mom! He's a thief!"

"Christine, I'm not replacing you; I'm allowed to-"

"No you're not!"

"Excuse me, but I'm pretty sure I'm the adult here, not you" Regina said, finding herself not liking this girl's attitude

"Fine" Christine huffed, folding her arms across her chest as she sent an evil glare Roland's way

"It's late, I should go; Ms. Z doesn't like it when we're late for dinner" Roland said quietly

"I told her I'd have you back to the orphanage by the time it got dark; plus, I'm sure you wouldn't want any of that food they have there. How about a hamburger?" Regina suggested as Christine rolled her eyes

"Do you want a hamburger, or are you going to stand there with a pout all day?" Regina asked

"Fine, one hamburger, and then you take him straight back to the orphanage and then we go and see daddy" Christine relented

"Fine, we can do that" Regina said, watching as the girl reluctantly moved to sit in the booth, making sure to sit directly next to Regina, resting her head on her shoulder

"I love you, mommy"

"I love you too Christine" Regina said, not failing to notice the look her supposed daughter was giving Roland, who only hung his head in shame.

"Hey, Regina what can I get for you?" Ruby asked as she came over to take their order

"I'll have-"

"I want the usual Ruby" Christine said with a smile as she leaned in and gave Ruby a smile

"Sure think kid, and for you Madam Mayor?"

"I'll have a salad, what about you Roland?"

"Umm...I'll have, a hamburger!" Roland said with a smile

"One hamburger coming right up" Ruby said, her grin spreading quite wide as Neal walked into the diner. The sight of Ruby and Neal kissing made Regina's eyes widen just a bit

"Don't look so shocked mom" Christine said

"How long have Ruby and...and Neal been together?"

"I don't know, for as long as I can remember. Why does that matter?"

"It doesn't; I was just, curious" Regina said

* * *

Once they had eaten their meals, Regina reluctantly dropped Roland off to Zelena, who looked less than pleased to see that it was well past curfew when Roland arrived back.

"I thought you said-"

"She forced me to sit through a meal with him!" Christine complained as Zelena sent her sister a disapproving look

"Regina..."

"He was hungry so, I feed him"

"And he could've eaten-"

"Didn't you say there wasn't enough food here to feed all of the children?"

"And you said that you would take care of that" Zelena said through gritted teeth

"And I will; I simply did you a favor today by making sure Roland here had a good meal"

"Well I hope this isn't something that becomes permanent"

"I hope so too; see you later Aunt Z!" Christine said, pushing past her mother and Roland to give her aunt a hug

"Are we still on for our date tomorrow?"

"Definitely" Christine said with a smile

"What date?"

"Did you really forget that you have city council meetings and I hang out with Aunt Z until you're done?"

"Oh, right"

"Alright; Roland, get inside, now" Zelena said to the young boy who gave Regina a sad glance before reluctantly heading inside

"I'll see you tomorrow Roland?" Regina said, causing the little boy to turn around and give her a small smile

"Bye Regina" Roland said softly

xx

The car ride back to her place was incredibly silent on Christine's part Regina quickly noticed

"Is everything alright Christine?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"You've been doing this since you had that crazy belief that you had a son named Henry" Christine said, causing Regina to slam on breaks

"What did you just say?"

"I said how you kept saying you had this, imaginary son, named Henry. You've been doing it for years now. You pushed me away, saying that I wasn't your child and-"

"You, you know about, Henry?" Regina asked, her heart suddenly beginning to beat faster

"He's not real you know; Dr. Hopper says you made him up as a result of Grandma being killed and daddy coming back from the dead. Mom, I think you should start seeing Dr. Hopper again, because I think you're starting to become attached to that Roland kid"

"I'm not attached to him; he's a nice-"

"HE HURT DADDY! He's the reason daddy's in the hospital and-" Christine shouted, only stopping when Regina's phone rang.

"That was Dr. Whale...he says your father, Daniel, he fell into a coma" Regina said quietly.

_Chapter 7 to follow..._

* * *

**And yes, I'm going somewhere with this people! Back to FTL in the next chapter...**


	7. Fight or Flight

**Hello again loves! I'm so glad that you all are enjoying this story. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who has favorited, followed and reviewed this story. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my other two Once stories "Together Someday" and "The Shadow Man's daughter". It's crunch time with my classes and I'm being called in to work sporadically and I'm preparing to visit California in about another month or so...yeah, life's quite hectic right now! Any who, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who was disappointed over last week's episode-not enough OQ moments in my opinion; totally didn't see Neal's death coming-and it's forreal this time, no going back...wow! I'm more so excited about the supposed 'show down' between Zelena and Regina. Speaking of 'show downs', is anyone else reading "A Sliver of Hope" by Amalynn John? If so, is it me or, have some of the things in her story been a dead ringer for what's going on on the show? Like, the fact that she wrote this story WELL before the spring premiere of Once and a lot of the things she said were like dead on-the fact that the Wicked Witch needed Rumple's dagger, and Snow and Charming's baby? Oh and how about the show down between Zelena and Regina? There's other stuff too, like how Robin almost hit Regina with an arrow when they met in Storybrooke? Okay, maybe it's just me but, whatever. I think you guys are trying to kill me with your Outlaw Queen stories; that and I came across this tumblr, brilliantly titled "Fuck Yes Her Majesty" and then I started watching Lana in Miami Medical LOL. I think it's safe to say, I've got a thing for Lana Parrilla. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this story, because I'm having fun writing it!**

**Take Care, dearies!**

**Xx**

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest-1 Year Ago...**

Morning seemed to come quite quickly, seeing as Roland lay curled up next to Regina for the remainder of the night, the two talking softly as she told him stories of Henry. Though in her heart Roland could never, ever replace Henry, he did make things, life at least a little bit easier to bear. Roland was in the middle of telling Regina one of the stories his father often told him when there was a noise, signaling that someone had come into the tent.

"Wow, you look pretty awful" Tinkerbell said, noting the small child lying next to Regina

"Roland, this is Tinkerbell, Tink this is Roland, Robin Hood's son"

"Robin Hood, the very handsome man you've been arguing with since we got here?" Tink said, a small smirk on her face

"I have not been-"

"Sorry to interrupt ladies but, Roland here hasn't had a proper meal yet and I'm sure the Queen, I mean, Regina, could use some rest and a proper meal herself" Robin said amidst Roland's protests.

"Roland, I'll be right here when you get back" Regina told him reassuringly as Robin reached out to pick him up, both women's eyes landing on his forearm:a Lion Tattoo. In that moment, it was as if time stood still, the room becoming deathly silent.

"Is everything alright ladies?" Robin asked, jarring them both out of their thoughts

"Fine" Regina and Tink answered quickly, their eyes suddenly meeting one another's, an argument ensuing between them

"...Well then, Roland bid Regina goodbye"

"Bye Regina, see you after breakfast!" Roland called out with a wave, though Regina could only respond with a weak hand gesture that was supposed to be a wave

"Papa, why were Regina and Tink staring at you so funny?" The women heard Roland ask

"I think they were staring at my tattoo..."

"Regina" Tink said slowly

"Don't Tinkerbell; I know what you're about to say so don't"

"Did you see that, last night?"

"If I had seen that thing last night do you honestly think I would've came back here willingly with him?"

"Regina, that's him, that's"

"If you're about to say my soul mate, then don't" Regina snapped

"You can't deny it Regina; we both saw it"

"It probably means nothing"

"Oh come on! I saved you, I saved your life and helped you save your son! I lost my wings for you once and now you're gonna tell me that I'm lying again!?"

"What do you want me to say!?"

"Oh I dunno, something other than this, mock anger you've got going on" Tink shot back, her arms folded across her chest

"What do you wanna hear, that I'm scared! Because yes I am scared! Okay there, you happy? The Evil Queen is scared, Tinkerbell"

"Why are you so scared of loving again Regina?"

"Don't you see? Everything I love, I lose" Regina said tearfully

"Regina, you know that Henry-"

"Henry was never mine to begin with...but I loved him, and I lost him; it's the same thing with Daniel. I loved him, not just with my heart, with my soul...and I lost him"

"Regina-"

"My mother ripped his heart out, right in front of me! I just lost my son, do you really think I'm going to be so willing to just, open my heart up to love somebody again just because your stupid fairy dust prophecy says that a man, that Robin, who just so happens to have the Lion tattoo, is my supposed new soul mate?"

"I'm not saying you have to but, Regina, when you decided not to go into that tavern, you didn't just ruin your life, you ruined his"

"He seems to be doing just fine, he's got a son, he-"

"He became a thief Regina! A thief who's felt nothing but pain and sadness since!"

"He couldn't have been so miserable, he found love!"

"But he lost it Regina; and at the hands of Rumpelstiltskin at that! Roland, that could've been your-"

"No"

"Regina-"

"Get out"

"Regina, listen to-"

"I SAID GET OUT TINKERBELL!" The Queen shouted, mustering up what little strength she had to conjure up a fireball, ready to hurl it at the fairy who quickly disappeared, leaving Regina alone, her heart pounding at the realization: Robin Hood was her true love, her soul mate; he was the man with the Lion Tattoo.

* * *

"You've been avoiding everyone" Snow said rather pointedly a few days later as they made the treck towards Rumpelstiltskin's castle; it was the only place left to go, seeing as The Charming's Castle had been destroyed by the first curse and Regina's castle was basically off limits.

"I haven't been avoiding anyone" Regina said smugly, keeping her eyes forward

"What happened between you and Tinkerbell?" Snow asked

"Nothing that concerns you"

"Regina-"

"Just, just drop it Snow" Regina said with a sigh, watching as the princess quietly retreated to her place next to Charming at the front.

"She's right, you've been avoiding people, particularly me, like the plague" Robin said, his voice startling Regina out of her thoughts

"I haven't been-"

"You only come to see Roland in the dead of night; you're polite to him of course but, other than that, you've made no physical contact with me or my boy." Robin said, his words held no malice but, she could tell that he was slightly hurt; if not for his sake then, for Roland's. When she remained silent, he continued.

"I was wrong about you, to say all of those things about you. Please forgive me, Regina" Robin said. His words, his voice the sincerity of it caused an ache in her chest, a literal physical ache. She closed her eyes, Tinkerbell's annoying words floating through her head

_You didn't only ruin your life, you ruined his!_

_Roland could've been your-_

She didn't need to hear the last part to know where Tink was going with her assumption; Roland could've been her son. It was with that that Regina allowed the darkness to take over. Whirling around fairly quickly, she stared at Robin with the most horrible Evil Queen glare she could manage before plunging her hand into Robin's chest, causing the man's eyes to widen.

"I am not who you think I am; I am The Evil Queen. I will never be good" She said, her voice dead of any emotion as everyone gathered around her, the men drawing their weapons fairly quickly.

"You, and your son, stay the hell away from me; because the next time" she said pausing, squeezing Robin's heart, feeling the pain radiate through into her own soul

"I won't hesitate to rip it out and crush it, right in front of your son" she said quickly pulling her hand out of his chest before vanishing into a purple cloud of smoke, leaving everyone stunned.

When she opened her eyes again, she stood in the middle of the forest, her breathing heavy, labored as she allowed the tears to fall from her eyes. It was painful, plunging her hand into Robin's chest, feeling his heart beating in her hand, her nimble fingers wrapped around it. She had only hoped that Roland was out of eyesight when she had done it. He thought of her as his friend. No, she couldn't chance it, growing attached to the boy only to lose him or to have him used against her by the witch. No, her mother had been right; love was truly weakness.

"You were right mother; love is weakness" Regina whispered, plunging her hand into her chest, pulling her heart out.

"At least now, I won't feel anymore pain" she said as she marched on towards her castle with one thing in mind...

_Chapter 8 to follow..._


	8. Beating Hearts

**I know, that last chapter wasn't what you guys expected but, the whole 'Regina starting to have feelings for Robin and then seeing the tattoo and then resisting him before she eventually fell for him' thing has been done and, I'm trying to do this in the most original way possible. So, I had Regina discover the tattoo early on and well, the next chapters is where some of what's currently going on will come into play. Oh and again I have to remind you that with the Witch's curse, it seems as if it's only been weeks since Pan was defeated...you'll see why soon!**

**Take Care**

**Xx**

* * *

**Storybrooke: Present**

"Do you think she suspects anything?" Zelena asked the following afternoon as she stood staring out the window of her office at the orphanage

"No, she suspects nothing" Rumpelstiltskin said automatically

"Good; _now_, all we have to do, is figure out a way to keep her away from _Roland_" Zelena said, her voice filled with distaste for the boy

"I'm sure _Christine_ can help with that" Rumple said, snapping his fingers, instantly turning into Christine

"Oh, I'm sure you can, _my darling niece_" Zelena said with a wicked smile, just as there was a knock on the door, causing the two to jump

"Oh, come in!" Zelena called out, surprised to see Regina there

"Mom! What are you doing here so early? I thought you had City Counsel meeting today?"

"I do but, we tabled it; I wanted to make sure your father was alright" Regina said, eying her supposed 'sister' rather strangely.

"Regina, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just...nothing; I'm just, worried about Daniel, that's all" she said with a forced smile

There was something about this woman that unnerved her completely.

"Shall we go and see daddy then?" Christine asked, reaching out to take her mother's hand

"Yeah, let's, let's go see your father" Regina said slowly, keeping her eyes on Zelena as she left with Christine.

There was something...off about the entire thing she thought to herself as she drove to the hospital. The past few days nothing felt, right; the annoying part was that she hadn't even started finding leads on who had done this to them and why. It were as if something, or rather, _someone_ didn't want her to find out who did this to her.

"Uh, mom, I thought we were supposed to be going to see dad?" Christine asked from the back seat of the car.

"We are but, I need to make a quick stop first" Regina said as they pulled up in front of the apartment building David and Mary Margret lived in.

"_Here_? We're stopping here first?" the 12 year old groaned as Regina shut off the engine, getting out of the car

"Mom!"

"We won't be here long; besides, I'm sure you'll enjoy playing with your..._cousins_" She said, though the word sounded weird rolling off her tongue.

"I _hate_ the Charmings, you would know that if you..."the young girl muttered

"What was that, Christine?" Regina asked

"Nothing mom, nothing" she sighed trudging up the stairs, albeit reluctantly behind her mother who knocked on the door.

"Regina...and, Christine" Snow said, a bit surprised to see the young girl standing there. So _this_ was the infamous Christine she'd heard so much about in just a few short days. She certainly did look an awful lot like Regina Snow mused.

"Christine, aren't you going to say hello?"

"Hi"

"What's brings you two here?" Snow asked, a hand on her very swollen belly

"Uh, I was hoping that we could...talk. About...you know, what we had discussed earlier" Regina said, trying to be vague; there was something in her gut that told her that she couldn't trust this kid of hers

"Oh, yeah, sure; lemme just call down the children. Ava, Matthew...Henry" Snow called, causing Regina's heart to leap into her chest

"His name is-"

"Yeah" Snow said quickly, seeing the hurt in her step mother's eyes as she watched the 3 children descend down the stairs. She knew it was a long shot but, her heart leaped at the thought of this little boy, of Snow's little boy, being her son; her Henry.

"Hi Aunty Regina!" The little girl, Eva said

"She's named after my mother, even looks like her" Snow whispered tearfully, shaking it off as Christine cleared her throat.

"Oh, right sorry..." Regina muttered

"You know Regina, David and I normally take the kids down to visit the children's ward at the hospital. Christine could always ride with David and the kids while you and I talk" Snow suggested; apparently she too didn't trust this girl

"That sounds like a great idea" Regina said

"No! I want you to take me mom!"

"Honey, I'll be there shortly; Snow and I just have to discuss-"

"Some plans for the school we're working on" Snow chimed in, causing Regina to inwardly breathe a sigh of relief

"But mom-"

"I won't be too long, I promise; I'm sure you'd like to spend some time with your father"

"Alright fine; one hour" Christine said, giving the two women a warning glance before reluctantly following the three Charming children out of the front door.

xx

"Is it me or does she seem-"

"Off?" Snow said, finishing Regina's thought

"This whole thing to me seems off" Regina said as she and Snow made their way towards the kitchen, taking a seat at the bar

"How's Daniel?"

"Fell into a coma" Regina said as Snow handed her a cup of coffee which she took gratefully

"Regina, I'm so sorry"

"It's...fine Snow"

"Regina, this can't be hard for you; seeing as you lost him, twice already"

"This time though? It's different; I have, no memories of him and...he seems, different. He's not...he's not my Daniel, Snow"

"What do you mean?"

"Gold said it best; once you're dead, you're dead" Regina said sadly

"So how is he-"

"I don't know, but that's what I intend to find out"

"How are you so calm about this?"

"About what?"

"Being here, working together with me and with Charming?"

"I don't know...maybe in the year that we lost, you and I became, I dunno, friends maybe?" Regina said as a silence fell over the two of them, before they burst into hysterical laughter

"Oh, oh that's funny!"

"I know! You and I, friends? It makes no sense right?"

"It's not that it doesn't but..."

"I get it" Regina said once the laughter died down

"Do you think it's possible, you and I being friends?"

"When I met you Snow, I had no intention of-"

"I know Regina, I know...but hey, maybe now we're being forced to work together to help us remember that, that once upon a time, we didn't hate each other"

"Yeah, but my thing is, why are you, me and Charming the only ones who remember what happened?"

"Well technically, we only remember standing at the town line saying goodbye to Emma and Henry"

"Yeah, but that's a lot more than what everyone else remembers" Regina pointed out

"Maybe there was some sort of fail-safe they didn't know about" Snow said as Regina suddenly got a far away look in her eyes

"Regina, Regina what is it?"

"Fail-safe..."

"What about a fail-safe?"

"There was a fail-safe, in the original curse..."

"So you think-"

"Someone had to re-cast the original curse, the one that brought us all here to Storybrooke the first time"

"But, how-"

"...I don't know; but I do know that if someone cast the original curse I cast then-"

"Then it can be broken..." Snow said, the realization hitting her

"Emma, we need Emma"

"Yeah, but there's no way for us to get to her, remember?"

"Regina, if you, me and Charming all still have our memories then-"

"It's possible"

"What's possible"

"When I cast my curse, Jefferson was the only person, who kept his original memories from when we were in our land"

"So you think-"

"Either that or, the person who cast the curse doesn't know that we remember"

"So, what do we do now?"

"...We need magic" Regina said with a smile

"Magic?"

"Yes, magic; and I know just the place to find it" she said with a grin

"Uh oh; you've got that look in your eyes that screams 'I have an evil plan'" Snow said, following her step mother out of the apartment

"That's because I do" Regina grinned

* * *

The trip to the town cemetery didn't take very long, though the walk to her family vault took much longer due to Snow's pregnancy.

"Regina, you're walking way too-" Snow began but stopped when she saw the look of horror on her step mother's face.

"Regina..."

"That isn't possible; I sealed this, with blood magic!" Regina growled, quickly moving into the mausoleum.

"Regina?" Snow called out, suddenly creeped out by being in a place filled with God knows what kind of magic

"Regina..."

"They're gone" she whispered

"What's gone?"

"...My hearts"

"What?"

"This is bad, _very_ bad"

"Regina, Regina what's wrong?"

"Snow, I kept...hearts down here"

"Beating hearts!?"

"Well they weren't mine...not many of them anyways"

"_You brought beating hearts with you to Storybrooke_!?"

"_That's not the point_!"

"Well then what _is_ the point?!"

"...I think, I think I know how Daniel's alive"

"How?"

"Someone, someone took one of those hearts and-" Regina started as her cell phone suddenly rang

"Regina? Regina what's wrong?" Snow asked, watching as the Queen's face suddenly turned ashen

"Daniel's...dead"

_Chapter 9 to follow..._

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! It keeps getting weirder and weirder I know! It's going to be a while before Robin and Regina meet in Storybrooke but, the wait will be worth it I promise! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'll try and update this again as soon as possible!**

**Take Care, dearies!**

**Xx**


	9. Quiet Minds

**Yes I know I'm pumping out the chapters fairly quickly. It's the weekend and, I've got some free time on my hands and I've been hit with the idea of updating so, I'm updating as much as I can-at least until my brain tells me to stop or, I come to a road block. I love that you guys are following this story, but I'd love more reviews! That's what motivates me to keep going, to know what it is you guys like or dislike about the story. If I know what you guys like and I get the impression that you guys really like the story, it motivates me to keep going. Otherwise, I feel like my story is sorta crappy and...it ends up going months, sometimes up to a year without being finished. So, reviews are greatly appreciated. I know some of you guys were kind of freaking out by the last FTL flashback but rest assured, Robin and Regina are endgame!**

**Take Care,**

**Xx**

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest:Missing Year**

"Robin! Robin, are you alright!?" Snow asked just moments after Regina had vanished, the thief still clutching his chest.

"She tried to-"

"This is all my fault" Tinkerbell said with a groan as everyone looked at her

"What the hell did you two talk about? Because she hasn't been right since-"

"Since we talked, I know; Regina's just scared that's all"

"So scared that she'd try and rip out my damn heart!?"

"Oh calm down, if she was going to rip it out, she would've done it in an instant" Tink said

"Calm down, you want me to calm down!? What the bloody hell did I do to warrant her sticking her hand into my chest and squeeze my heart!?"

"It's not so much about what you did; it's more about who you are"

"Tink...what really happened between you and Regina in the Enchanted Forest?" Snow asked

"It's not my place to tell, really" The fairy said, hanging her head in shame

"Like hell it is; Regina just tried to rip out Robin's heart after a conversation that you two had days ago..." Charming ordered

"Alright _fine_, but if she tries to kill me..."

"Just, tell us what happened"

"She's the reason I lost my wings ya know...Blue was right, people like her, they can't be helped"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, not long after Regina had married your father, I came upon her one night...trying to kill herself"

"What? That doesn't-"

"It's true! She jumped from the balcony, but I saved her"

"Why would she-"

"She said she didn't feel loved by the King, your father Snow"

"That isn't true, he loved-"

"She was miserable Snow! She said she loved another, before the king"

"Daniel..."Snow said

"Yes"

"Wait, what does that have to do with me?" Robin asked

"A long time ago, Regina saved my life. I was riding with my father when...oh my God, Cora" Snow whispered

"What about her?"

"Cora, Regina's mother, she set it up...she fixed it so-"

"So Regina would marry your father" Tink said finishing the princess' sentence

"Yes; Regina was unhappy, and I told her, what she needed to find was love"

"Okay, but how does Robin fit into this equation?"Charming asked

"Right, exactly; and what gives her the right to-"

"_Will you two be quie_t! _As I was saying_; I stole some fairy dust, against Blue's wishes to try and help Regina find her happiness...the fairy dust lead us to a bar, and in that bar sat a man. A man with a Lion Tattoo"Tink explained as everyone grew silent

"...Wait, so you're telling me that _Robin Hood_, is Regina's _soul mate_?" Charming asked as Robin stood completely flabbergasted

"It makes sense" Tink shrugged

"It's why you two stared at me the other day, isn't it?" Robin asked

"Yes; and its more than likely the reason she-"

"Tried to rip my heart out? What the bloody hell is so bad about-"

"It's not you Robin...it's Daniel"

"Her first love?" Charming questioned

"She's never let him go" Robin mused

"No...Regina said something about everything she loves-"

"She loses...this goes deeper than Robin" Snow said

"This is about Henry"

"And Daniel and her mother and-"

"She doesn't think she deserves happiness" Tink said with a sigh

"...Will someone tell me what I have to do with this, and why the woman almost ripped out my bloody heart?"

"She's afraid to let herself fall for you, because she's scared that if she lets you in, lets Roland in-"

"She'll lose us" Robin suddenly realized

"Exactly"

"Where could she have gone?" Charming asked

"To her castle, to deal with the witch alone" Snow said

"I'm going to find her" Robin said suddenly

"Oh no, I'm sure you're the last person Regina wants to see right now" Tinkerbell said

"Maybe, but did you think that I might be the exact person The Queen...Regina needs to see?" Robin asked as everyone glanced at one another

"He's got a point, she won't want to talk to any of us" Charming said with a shrug

"And you think that sending Robin Hood-"

"It's our best chance Tink" Snow said, causing the fairy to relent

"Alright fine; but if she rips your heart out-"

"I'll just have to shoot her with my bow" Robin said confidently

"_You_, you're going to shoot _The Evil Queen_, with a _bow_?" Tink questioned

"The thing about me is, I_ never_ miss"

* * *

In a flash, Regina found herself in the middle of the forest; finally, she could breathe. She was finally alone; away from Snow and her stupid optimism. Away from Tink and her bad fairy dust. _Best of all_, she was away from that thief Robin...and his stupid Lion Tattoo. Sighing heavily, Regina knew what had to be done. Squaring her shoulders, she carefully lifted the seemingly typical boulder, tossing it aside. To the untrained eye, it would seem as if the queen were simply directing her anger towards the rock. However, this was no ordinary boulder, it was strategically placed there as, a backdoor entrance if you will, to the Queen's castle. The only way she could get through unprotected. Once inside, she would do as previously planned and lower the witch's shield, but after that, she other, _business _to tend to.

"And just where do you think you're going, your majesty?" She heard a voice call out, causing her to whip around

"You? You fool! I thought you would've learned by now, don't mess with The Queen" Regina growled, her hand instantly conjuring up a fireball

"Careful M'lady I have great aim and I never miss" Robin said, his bow and arrow ready

"You really think that bow and arrow-"

"I can assure you that the minute that fireball is thrown, that there will be an arrow to accompany it, straight to your heart"

"Well, by all means be my guest; I don't have anything to live for anyways"

"You may think you don't but I do; and if you kill me, Roland will not only be without a mother, but he'll be completely orphaned" Robin said, hating that he was using his son as leverage to keep the Queen from killing him but, it had been his last resort.

Damn that thief, using Roland as a means for her not killing him.

"_Don't,_ get in my way" She growled, pushing past him, heading inside towards her castle.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it" Robin snarled as he followed close behind.

xx

The journey into the Queen's castle is far from what either party expected, with someone breaking into Regina's chamber where she keeps her hearts as well as her mother. Along with a rather shocking revelation: The Wicked Witch, is actually...her sister. Her initial plans were ruined, but now, now she had something else to look forward to: revenge.

"Did you take down the shield?" Robin, who had been all but forced to stand guard asked the Queen as she briskly walked past him, gathering a few of her things.

"Yes"

"What else have you done?"

"Excuse me?"

"I said, what else have you done? You seem to have a certain...glow about yourself that you didn't have an hour before coming here" Robin pointed out

"Well, I've met the Wicked Witch"

"And, what of her?"

"...I'm gonna kill the bitch" Regina snarled

"Perhaps you killing her is a better distraction for what's really bothering you"

"Oh, and what's that?" Regina asked sarcastically as she kept walking

"My Lion Tattoo; isn't it a bit, coincidental that you all of a sudden meet the witch, not long after finding out that I'm your supposed 'soul mate'? Nice distraction I'd say"

"How, how do you know about that, about Tink's prophecy?" Regina found herself asking as she slowed down, that and everything else including her heart rate.

"Well after you tried ripping out my heart, I had to find out what the bloody hell was going on with you" Robin said rather nonchalantly

"There's nothing to tell" Regina said, doing her hardest to keep her dignity in tact

"Obviously, there is, because you've avoided both I and Roland like the plague ever since you saw my tattoo"

Sighing heavily, Regina whirled around to face Robin, a less menacing look as she spoke to him.

"Whatever you think it is that you know, drop it...Tinkerbell's magic failed me the first time. There's no way it can be right after all this time"

"...You didn't come in that night" Robin called after her as she quickly began to walk away. Damn him and his magic abilities to read her so well.

"There was a draft of wind, but when I looked around, I saw no one; what that you at the pub that night?" Robin asked, though his voice held no accusation.

"I did come that night but...it doesn't matter; you and I both know there's no loving an Evil Queen" Regina said sadly.

There was something about the tone of her voice that made his heart break for her. Though he had never been formally introduced to 'The Evil Queen', her reputation preceded her. To most she was evil, vindictive and down right ruthless. Now, as he stood looking at her, she seemed to be a far cry from any sort of evil. Broken was a more...accurate word to describe the woman standing in front of him.

"M'lady if I've learned one thing in my life, it's that anyone can be loved and that everyone deserves a chance at happiness" Robin said softly, watching as the woman slowly began to become more humanized than the iconic image she was notorious for.

"Even an Evil Queen?" she asked, a light rim of tears shinning in her eyes

"If a thief like myself can find love, then certainly a former Evil Queen can find love too"

_Chapter 10 to follow..._


	10. Secrets

**Ah, 10 chapters in! You guys are so awesome. Thank You, thank you, thank you for all of your reviews, favorites and follows on this story. I'm glad you're all enjoying it; I'm very much in a Lana Parrilla mood; I can't explain why but, I just am. I started watching old TV shows and movies Lana did prior to Once and I'm like 'why the heck did I not know who she was before Once?'. I just watched this episode Lana guest starred in and I am floored by her beauty and her badass-ery haha! Any who, I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I'm having a blast writing it...I'm sorry that it's so short though!**

**Take Care,**

**Xx**

* * *

**Storybrooke, Present**

Daniel was dead.

"Regina?" Snow called out softly, her eyes widening in shock as her step mother began to laugh, hysterically.

"Regina, are you okay?"

"Oh my God, he's dead" she laughed, tears now starting to fall down her reddened cheeks

"Regina, I think you're in shock" Snow said slowly, taking the woman's hands into her own

"Just when you think my life can't get any worse! I mean, first, my mother doesn't love me, then I my fiance is killed-right in front of me; I mean mother just, ripped his heart out. Then, she forced me into marrying the king and helping to raise you as my daughter. Then, I had your father killed and then...I set out to ruin your life, only, to have mine ruined in the process!" Regina laughed as Snow stood there, highly unsure of what she should be doing to...comfort(if that was the right word) her step mother.

"I mean, I'm The Evil Queen for God's sakes! Did you _really_ think that I would find happiness? _Ha_! Fat chance in hell"

"Regina...I'm sorry, for your loss" Snow said quietly once Regina's laughter had died down.

"I've lost him 3 times now...maybe, maybe we just...weren't meant to be after all" Regina said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair

"Let's...get to the hospital; I'm sure everyone's waiting for us" she said quietly, not bothering to lock her vault; there was nothing left there for her anyways.

xx

When she arrived at the hospital, Regina and Snow were met with many somber faces, some she knew and some she didn't. Staring at everyone, there was something about this whole situation that was...off.

Her thoughts of what made this whole thing so eerie were quickly pushed aside by the child rushing into her arms, sobbing hysterically.

"They said he would be fine! You said he would be fine!" Christine sobbed

"I know, I know, I thought he would be too" Regina said, wrapping her arms around her supposed 'daughter', shushing her with reassurances that everything would be alright. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Zelena nearby, a somber expression on her face, though to Regina it looked...fake.

"Regina, I'm so sorry that this happened to you" Zelena said stepping forward, attempting to put an arm around her which, she politely declined

"Can you, watch Christine for a moment, I'd like a moment alone with Daniel"

"Of course" Zelena said, ushering Christine in the opposite direction as Regina headed inside Daniel's hospital room. It wasn't until that moment that she recognized him as her Daniel. Seeing him lying there like that, brought back all of the pain of losing him the first 2 times.

"Daniel, I'm so sorry" Regina said softly, running a hand along his face

"Madam Mayor, I'm sorry but, the corner-"

"I know, I was just...saying goodbye, again" she said softly as she leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips before walking away.

xx

"How are you holding up?" Snow asked a few days later; she had decided to stop by one afternoon while Christine was visiting with Zelena.

"It feels, weird; I mean, I know I should be devastated but...I'm not; I mean I am, devastated that I had that chance, to be with Daniel to be married to him but..."

"Because of the curse, it wasn't real"

"Yeah...I want to know, who did this to us?"

"I'd like to know too and we'll find out, together"

"Together?"

"Yeah, you and I are gonna figure this thing out and get the missing year of our memories back together. You just have to have hope Regina"

"I do; I hope that we find out whoever did this, because when we do...I'm gonna rip em to shreds"

"Regina" Snow sighed

"No, Snow; they brought back Daniel! I don't know how but, they brought him back and they gave me, they gave me this life with him, a life I don't remember and-"

"Wait, Regina...that's it!"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it; there are only 2 reasons only you, me and Charming remember what happened"

"It means either they did this on purpose or-"

"Or they don't know that we remember" Regina said, her eyes shinning with the possibility of hope

"There's only one way to not be affected by a curse like this; either the person who cast the curse leaves you with your memories or..."

"Or what Regina?"

"Or someone powerful enough casts a curse to counteract the memory curse"

"You can do that?"

"It's risky and the curse requires a lot of magic but, it can be done"

"Which do you think happened?"

"I think something went wrong with the curse; because we're clearly missing a year of our life but, our memories aren't altered like everyone else's"

"So what do we do?"

"For now, we play along, pretend that we're cursed like everyone else...but in the meantime, we'll be working on figuring out who did this and what the hell it is they want"

* * *

The mood in the air was quite somber as everyone in town stood in the cemetery, all gathered around Regina and Christine who clung to her mother as words were said over Daniel's casket.

"And now, we'll have final words from our Mayor"

Clearing her throat, Regina smiled, taking her daughter's hand in her own as she spoke

"Thank you all, for coming; it amazes me that you all came...considering that I'm The Evil Queen and all" she said, causing a few to chuckle

"Daniel was...an amazing person; from the moment we met, he had my heart. I've loved him, and lost him, and found him again but...this time, fate just...wasn't on our side I guess" Regina said, her voice breaking a little. It was a bit odd for the people of Storybrooke to see the mayor look so...broken and, sad about something. After brushing away her tears, Regina carefully walked forward and kissed Daniel's casket before walking away.

xx

"Open it" Zelena commanded to one of her henchmen as she stood over Daniel's grave later that night. It was fool proof, her plan...something had gone wrong, terribly wrong she thought to herself as the casket was opened, the body of what appeared to be Daniel lie there very still.

"What do you think happened?" One of Zelena's imps asked

"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to find out" she said reaching her hand into the body, pulling out the heart.

"What the hell is this!?" She yelled, holding up a deformed looking heart in her hands; this wasn't the heart she had planted into him...this heart looked deformed.

"Bring Whale to me" Zelena ordered her imp who was off in a flash, appearing moments later with a terrified Dr. Whale in his grasp

"Explain this to me?" The witch snapped

"Well, you see...the hearts...sometimes, they can get a little, defective?" Whale said, completely afraid of the woman.

"Do you know what I do to people who disappoint me Dr. Whale?" Zelena said casually, circling the man, the defective heart still in her hand

"...N-no"

"Well, I usually kill them" She said, her voice menacingly low

"No! Please don't!"

"Do you know how many people in this town are walking around with hearts that I stole from my sister's chamber?" Zelena growled as she stood in front of him

"I thought you said you were the best, that you could bring people back to life?"

"It's, it's a tricky process"

"Well then make it un-tricky, because if one more person dies because of one of these defective hearts...I'm going to rip out your heart, and crush it. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes ma'am" Dr. Whale gulped

"Good, now get out of my sight" Zelena said as the flying monkey's took Dr. Whale away, leaving Zelena alone with Daniel's body.

"Oh Regina, this is just a minor set back in my plan...I'm still going to destroy you. I've got plenty of others walking around here...just like Daniel" she said, waving a hand over the body to reveal a dead flying Monkey.

"Cover him back up and bury him" She said, turning to walk away.

"It's not over yet Regina, it's not over yet"

_Chapter 11 to follow..._

* * *

**Yes I know, shocking that Dr. Whale is working for Zelena and still has his memories! How that happened will come into play later on in the story. I should also mention that Zelena doesn't know that Snow, Charming and Regina have their memories-but it doesn't mean that she won't find out...**

**Xx**


	11. Smile

**I won't bore you with a long author's note this time; it's a flashback to FTL post 3x12 with Robin and Regina. **

**Enjoy**

**Xx**

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest: Missing Year**

"So you really think someone like me can find happiness?" Regina asked Robin as they made their way back to camp

"Well, if a person wants to find happiness then, it's definitely possible" Robin said, his thick accent becoming more and more attractive to Regina

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away your majesty"

"...Tinkerbell said that when I decided not to find you, that not only did I ruin my own life...but I ruined your life too"

"I wouldn't say you ruined it"

"But if I had gone in that night?" Regina pressed

"Look, I believe that while there may have been a prophecy that we're...destined to be together, it's up to us to decide if that's what we want" Robin said

"I don't know what I want right now" Regina said

"You want Henry" Robin said quietly

"I want Daniel, I want Henry, I want my father back, for my mother to have loved me, to have not become The Evil Queen...I want a lot of things but, what we want, we can't have"

"While some things like having your parents and Daniel back can't be obtained, there are other things you can have"

"Such as? Because me getting Henry back isn't an option; he doesn't even remember me"

"You're The Evil Queen, the most powerful sorceress in this realm; surely, you can find a way back to your son. As for your 'Evil Queen' title, well, you've shown that you aren't so evil; it's a start in the right direction"

"...You're very optimistic for a thief"

"And you lack hope to be an Evil Queen" Robin teased, causing the corners of Regina's lips to twitch upward

"Was that a smile?"

"No"

"Oh, I'm quite sure I saw you smile...you should do it more often" Robin said as they reached camp, Roland quickly running up towards both of them.

"Regina! Snow said that you were sad and that daddy had to go find you" Roland said as he reached her feet

"I was sad Roland but...I'm not so sad anymore thanks to your father" Regina said, lifting the young boy into her arms, mouthing a silent 'thank you' to Robin before heading to her tent.

xx

"So, Regina looks seemingly better than she did when she stormed out of here"Tinkerbell said to Robin Hood as he sat by the fire later that night

"She's...complicated" Robin said with a sigh, watching as Regina listened thoughtfully to whatever Roland was talking to her about

"She's without a doubt complicated"

"But once you get to know her-"

"I don't think anyone really knows her"

"I do, Snow does..."

"Do you _really_ know Regina?"

"I know enough that she has her guard up and that she's been hurt one too many times"

"She said she wishes that she wasn't The Evil Queen"

"Maybe you can help her realize that she's not anymore"

"How can you be so sure of this? You could be invested in this so that you can get your wings back"

"Number one, I already got my wings back, number two, you and Regina need each other" Tink pointed out as the two of them watched Roland whisper in Regina's ear, causing her to laugh; the sight of her smile caused a surge of something, explainable to form in Robin's heart.

* * *

"Uh oh, someone's tired" Regina said thoughtfully after some time, noticing that Roland had gone silent on his end of the conversation.

"I'm not, tired" Roland said, letting out a big yawn, causing Regina to chuckle

"Oh, that yawn proves otherwise young man; let's get you settled in your tent" Regina said, standing up, carrying Roland in her arms

"No! I wanna sleep with you!"

"I don't know how your father would-"

"I don't see a problem with that" Robin said, walking alongside Regina

"Are you sure? Because-"

"If Roland wants to sleep with you then, I have no problem with that"

"See Regina, papa said it's okay!" Roland mumbled, causing Regina to chuckle softly

"Alright then, let's get you settled in my tent then"

xx

It didn't take Roland very long to fall asleep, curled up next to Regina like a kitten, his tiny fingers grasping the material on her top as she stared at him lovingly, running a hand through his hair.

"You're good with him" Robin pointed out

"Well, I had a son so..."

"You have a son Regina"

"Had, I had a son Robin"

"He's out there somewhere so, you still have a son"

"But he isn't here with me"

"If I've learned one thing about 'The Evil Queen', its that she always finds a way to get what she wants"

"Not always" Regina muttered

"Ah, but you do; you wanted to destroy Snow White, so you gave her a poison apple...when that didn't work, you sent her and everyone else to a land without magic. When that didn't work, you found your son. When you lost him, you went all the way to Neverland to save him. And when his life was at steak...you made the ultimate sacrifice by giving him up. Surely, a woman as determined as yourself shall find a way to get him back"

"You certainly have a lot of confidence in me"

"If I don't believe in you until you can believe in yourself, who else will?"

"Even after I ripped-"

"Ah, technically you didn't rip my heart out; you threatened to"

"I could've if I wanted to"

"I don't believe that for one second"

"And why not?"

"The little boy in your arms is why" Robin said with a triumphant smirk to which Regina could not respond

"He's taken quite a liking to you"

"He's a special little boy; he reminds me so much of...of Henry at this age"

"Well, I'm glad that he makes you happy; and if you'd let me, I'd like to add to your happiness" Robin said quietly, causing Regina's heart to race rapidly

"I..."

"You don't have to respond right now but, I'd like it if I could help make you happy"

"...Why?"

"Because, you have the most, breathtaking smile I have ever seen; you should smile more" Robin said, causing Regina to blush a little, the corners of her mouth turning up into a small smile

"Perfect"

_chapter 12 to follow..._


	12. Eluding

**Congrats to Ginny Goodwin and Josh Dallas who got married over the weekend! Total surprise to me and probably the rest of the fandom! The first part of this chapter is a dream sequence, but its rather smutty so, read at your own risk. I should also explain something else: the way that the curse is set up is totally different than on the show; everyone has been back in Storybrooke for at least, 6 to 8 weeks, though to them, it feels like days. You'll see why this piece of information is important very soon!**

**Xx**

* * *

Storybrooke:

_She could feel hands roaming over her body; they were firm, but yet there was something so, gentle in their touch. She could feel her breath hitch in the back of her throat, her her beating faster than normal. She could feel a certain heat, an aching if you will, between her legs. This feeling was all to familiar; it stirred up something inside of her, a yearning. She could feel the hands moving up her stomach, stopping to cup her breasts. There was someone hovering over her, their lips on her neck, kissing in the most sensitive of posts, eliciting a moan from her throat. Her back arched off of the bed, putting her chest to chest with her mystery person, her arms wrapping around their neck. It's a man from what she can tell, and he has a beard; it tickles her neck a little bit as he kisses her. She looks into his eyes, though she can't see his face. He opens his mouth to speak, though no words come out...what the hell was going on?_

_She could hear herself utter the words, _

"_I love you"_

_And then her body went straight to heaven when he entered her..._

Regina jolts forward, her eyes darting around the room; she was in Storybrooke still...but what the hell was that dream about? Who on earth was that man and, how the hell did he know to do all of those things to her body? Glancing around once more to make sure no one sees her, she allows her hand to slide underneath the covers, pulling back her panties just a bit. Oh god, she was practically dripping with arousal. How the hell was this even possible?

She hadn't had sex with anyone since Graham had died what, 2 years ago? She was fairly certain that she and Daniel hadn't had sex, because number one, Daniel, her Daniel, was dead. Number two, Daniel, the cursed version of Daniel was dead; and she didn't even remember him. Plus, whoever this mystery man was, had a beard; and something about him told her that he wasn't Daniel. Flopping back onto her pillows, Regina sighed; why the hell was she dreaming about this, this mystery man?

Who was he and where the hell did he come from? Could he be someone from the missing year she had forgotten about? It was possible but, she was fairly sure that during that time, she wouldn't have given her heart to anyone; especially not after she had just lost Henry. No, that just wasn't possible.

"_Mom_! Mom, look at the news!" Christine shouted, bursting into her mother's bedroom. Handing her the remote, Christine climbed into bed next to her as they watched the news report. _Roland_. Roland's face was all over the television screen; he had been shown fleeing from Granny's after apparently stealing from her once again. There was talk about him stealing again, as well as being charged with Daniel's death.

"I knew Aunt Zelena would take care of this"Christine said with a smile

"Zelena, Zelena did this?" Regina asked

"Why, yes; he's responsible...he killed daddy!"

"Christine, your father was killed because his car crashed" Regina said, pulling the covers back as her feet quickly hit the floor

"No! Roland did this! If he wasn't such a little thief-"

"That's enough! Roland didn't do this; it was an accident" Regina said, grabbing her robe as she headed into the bathroom

"Mom! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this!"

xx

She carefully made her way into the sheriff station half an hour later to find Charming sitting behind the desk, a frightened Roland sitting in a jail cell.

"Regina-"

"Did you do this, did you arrest him?"

"I had no choice" Charming sighed

"How did you not-"

"It wasn't...it wasn't my decision Regina"

"Like hell it wasn't! You're Prince Charming for crying out loud! You could've done something!" Regina said as she walked towards the cell holding Roland

"I thought you said you wouldn't send me to jail" Roland said softly

"Roland, sweetheart, I-"

"Yes you did! Zelena said you wanted me to go to jail!"

"Roland, that isn't true" Regina said, crouching down so that she was on the boy's level.

"Roland, Roland look at me; do you really think I would send you to jail after I gave you my word that I wouldn't?" she asked

"...No"

"Exactly; Charming, I want him released"

"Regina..."

"I don't think that's going to be possible dear" Zelena said as she walked into the station, an amused smile on her face

"I think it is going to be possible, seeing as I didn't say I wanted to press charges and, I'm the mayor"

"A mayor who has a history of mental instability" Zelena said holding up a file

"Where did you get that?"

"Why, Dr. Hopper of course; it's all right here Regina. You've shown signs of, mental instability ever since the curse broke. I believe it was after the wraith Gold released tried to steal your soul. You started talking about...a child named Henry and, The Charming's daughter...Emma I think you said her name was?"

"How did you-"

"Know this? Why Regina...I know everything. The only reason you still hold office as mayor is because I pleaded with them to let you keep the position"

"This is insane! I'm fine

"Are you _really_ alright Regina?"

"Yes, I'm fine"

"Then you'll understand when I say that this situation is, just a tad beyond your control. Roland is not to be released...under _no_ circumstances" Zelena said before walking away

"Regina...I'm scared" Roland said softly

"Everything is going to be fine; I promise you that"

* * *

"That doesn't make any sense" Snow said later on that day as Regina paced back and forth

"I know it doesn't" Regina snapped

"We need to think...do you think Pan could be behind this?"

"What? No! Pan is dead remember, Rumple killed him"

"...Or did he; Regina, we never saw Rumple's dagger. Do you think that means he could still be alive?"

"I don't know, maybe" Regina said with a sigh

"Hey, we'll figure this out okay? We won't let Roland get hurt, I promise you that"

"He reminds me so much of..."

"Henry"

"Yeah"

"Hey, it's okay to miss him you know"

"Yeah, I know" Regina said quietly as she took a seat next to the princess who suddenly sucked in a sharp breath

"Is everything alright Snow?"

"Yeah, the baby's very active, that's all" She said, running a hand along her stomach

"Is it weird, being pregnant again?"

"This entire situation is weird; I mean, one minute I'm standing at the town line, saying goodbye to Emma and Henry, and then I wake up and I'm in Storybrooke. No one has any memory of Emma or Henry, I'm pregnant again and I've got 3 other kids I had no idea existed." Snow said she stood up, heading for the fridge

"I'm hungry; you want a sandwich?" She asked

"Yeah...you know what, on second thought, I'm not so hungry" Regina said, her face turning an ashen white color, causing Snow to become alarmed

"Regina...are you alright?"

"Oh God, I think I'm gonna be sick" She muttered, instantly heading for the closest thing to her, which happened to be a ficus tree, hurling into it as Snow cringed at the sounds of her step mother retching.

"Are you sure you're okay? That was weird" Snow said, handing her a glass of water and some napkins, which Regina instantly took

"I'm fine"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so"

"You were fine until I opened the fridge"

"I smelled your burger from granny's...I think it was the onions on it" Regina said as Snow eyed her suspiciously

"What?"

"How did you smell the onions on my burger from Granny's?"

"The smell's pretty obvious Snow" Regina replied as Snow simply stared at her a few moments more

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Just...curious, that's all"

"Curious about what?"

"...I've never seen you throw up like that before"

"Well, there's a first for everything" Regina said with a shrug

"Yeah, I guess so..."

xx

"So, what's the plan now?" Christine asked

"Well, I'm _pretty certain_ that Regina is trying to find a way to get Roland out of jail" Zelena said

"So you think she knows who he is?"

"She doesn't know but, there's something familiar to her about him"

"Are you sure, because when she first woke up, she seemed a bit..._disoriented_"

"What do you mean?"

"She kept asking questions...she seems, suspicious of me"

"So you think she might remember?"

"Oh I'm certain she doesn't remember, otherwise you'd be dead by now"

"So what _are_ you saying then?"

"I'm saying...Regina's smart so, you might wanna keep an eye out on her her"

"Well, that's what I have you for _my sweet niece. _I wouldn't have placed you there to spy on her for me If I didn't trust you" Zelena said, snapping her fingers as Rumpelstiltskin appeared before her eyes

"Regina's smarter than you think" Rumple said

"Well, we'll see about that" Zelena said before turning to one of her guards

"..._Release him_"

_Chapter 13 to follow..._

* * *

_**dun, dun dun! **_**Cliffhanger, I know but it'll be worth it-trust me! I've got a lot planned in the coming chapters. Some surprises that will shock you. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this so far! Be on the look out for Robin in another chapter or so and, something really shocking-though I eluded to it just a bit in this chapter.**

**Xx**


	13. Revelations

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

_Regina's castle-2 days ago_

_She had done it; she had taken down the shield; now, Snow and Charming could rush in, take the castle and be the heroes. Regina on the other hand? She'd fall asleep forever, at least until someone found a way to return back to the human realm, find Henry give him back his memories back, bring him to The Enchanted Forest to wake her with true love's kiss. That had to work, right? It had worked the first time, with Emma kissing Henry after he'd eaten the poison Apple turnover she had intended for Emma. Maybe, just maybe it would work with her. But could it? Could she really be considered, dare she say it...**good**? There was only one way to find out. Reaching into one of the pocket, her hand slipped around something small as it pulsated around her hands. Slowly, she pulled it out; her heart. _

_Staring at it in amazement, Regina could say nothing. For in her hands, stood a heart that looked...almost normal. As she held it in her hands, it glowed a seemingly bright Red. Though there were still small parts of black, her heart looked almost...normal. If she was going to do this, she had to do it the right way-with her heart inside of her chest. Once back inside, she felt the instant pain of losing Henry, of allowing Roland to get to close to her; most importantly, she felt the fear Robin being her soul mate. The thing that stuck out in her mind the most was_

"_**You could've been Roland's mother"**_

_Sighing heavily, Regina gathered everything she would need to make the sleeping curse and headed out of her bedchamber. Once again she was in the middle of the courtyard, staring out at the vastness of what was left of The Enchanted Forest. Sighing heavily, Regina sat down on a nearby bench. As she sat there, her thoughts instantly drifted towards Henry; she knew he would be so disappointed in her. She could almost hear him pleading with her not to do this._

"_I'm sorry Henry, maybe one day you'll find me and wake me up, but until then..."Regina said softly as she slowly prepared to stick herself, falling into an eternal slumber that could only be broken by true love's kiss._

"_You weren't even going to say hello first?" A voice asked out of nowhere_

"_It's not exactly the welcome I was expecting"_

_Ah, so this was her: **The Wicked Witch.** She looked certainly far from Wicked; green, yes but wicked...hell no._

"_What does a **witch** have to do to get your attention?" She asked, magically taking the needle away from Regina; now, she was angry._

"_What's the matter, has life got you down?"_

"_None of your business" Regina said as she stood, ready to blast the green toad to smithereens. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to be afraid of Regina; more, amused actually_

"_You **really** don't know who I am, **do you**?"_

"_I know exactly who you are: **The Wicked Witch**" Regina said, a hint of amusement of her own present; she even seemed to be, mocking the woman._

"_Is that all?"_

"_I'm **not** that interested" Regina said, trying to snatch away the needle, but Zelena was too fast_

"_**Please**, allow me to introduce myself; you can call me Zelena" she said with much confidence as she strolled around Regina, whose eyes had caught something else_

"_**That's my dress**" She said_

"_I had to take it in a little bit at the hips but, it looks better on me, don't you think?"_

"_I think you never should've left Oz"_

"_You can have your castle back if you want it that badly; I was just trying it on for size. Besides, I've already seen everything worth seeing: your closet, your gardens...**your crypt**" Zelena said_

"_Yes how **did** you break the blood lock?" Regina asked now curious about just who in the **hell** this woman **really** was and what she **truly** wanted_

"_I didn't"_

"_The door was open...**no one's that powerful**"_

"_Cora really never told you" _

"_Told me what?"_

"_The truth about us, Regina" Zelena said, causing The Evil Queen to chuckle a bit_

"_What are you talking about? **And how do you know my mother**?"_

"_Same way you do...I'm your sister" Zelena said_

xx

"So we still don't know what this witch is after?" Charming asked as a group of them had assembled around the fire; Robin and Regina were the last to arrive.

"No, we don't; but I don't think it's safe to go to the castle" Regina said

"Why not?"

"It's just...it's not safe there"

"I'm assuming from your response that you had a run in with the witch?" Charming asked

"I did...she's a real bitch" Regina deadpanned

"Aside from that, did she say anything useful?"

"Aside from some ridiculous accusation and wanting to destroy me? No, she didn't say much"

"Why would she want to destroy you?" Snow asked

"I thought you said you didn't know her?"

"Well I only met the woman today!"

"What did she accuse you of Regina?" Snow asked

"It's not what she accused me of..."

"Well then what is it?"

"She said...she said she was, my sister"

"Your sister?" Snow said completely shocked

"So, there are two Evil Queens out there who can-"

"Hold on a minute there Grumpy; there's only _one _Evil Queen and that's me. There's no way she's my sister. I'm an only child"

"So you say" Granny muttered

"Oh come on! Why would I lie about having a sister? Snow, you've known me forever, you should know better than anyone else that I'm an only child" Regina said, hoping that the princess would vouch for her.

"It's true, Regina doesn't have a sister" Snow admitted

"How can we be so sure about that?"

"Charming, I've known Regina since I was a little girl; she wouldn't lie about something like this" Snow said

"Alright fine if she isn't your sister then clearly she has some sort of vendetta against you for, whatever reason" Charming said

"Look, you can not believe me if you want to but honestly, I've never seen her a day in my life. Besides, most of the people I've had...issues with, either deserved my wrath or, they were merely an obstacle in my way or, a part of my plan to destroy Snow" she said with a shrug.

"Okay now that, I can agree with; Regina's never messed with people to just...mess with them" Charming said, taking the Queen by surprise

"Regina, do you think there could be any truth to what The Wicked Witch was saying?" Snow asked

* * *

_The look on Regina's face was priceless; this woman, claimed to be her sister._

"_Actually, **half sister** but, details details" Zelena said, somewhat pleased to have the upper hand on her, baby sister_

"_That's, **not **possible you're...**green**"_

"_**And you're rude**" Zelena snapped walking away from Regina_

"_Cora had me first; **before she wormed her way into the dregs of royalty**. Well you know I'm telling the truth; how else could I have broken the door to the crypt? **Our mother**, gave me up and sent me away; **but you**, **you she kept**. You she gave **everything**"_

"_Everything **she** wanted. **If** what you're saying is true, then you were **lucky** to escape her"_

"_Enough with the martyr complex Regina. Try growing up without a mother, **try living in Oz. **Knowing that no one thought you were good enough not your mother, and not the only man both our paths crossed: Rumpelstiltskin"_

"_You knew Rumpelstiltskin?" Regina asked, sitting down on a bench and crossing her legs. She had a good feeling of where this whole...sob story was going; she was amused_

"_Well did you think you were his only student?" _

"_Let me guess, **you're mad** because he chose **me** to cast his curse?"Regina asked; there was even a hint of amusement in her voice as she looked at the woman claiming to be her...**sister**._

"_Well **get over it**; it was everything it was cracked up to be" Regina said, quickly losing her patience with this woman_

"_**Anything**, would've been better than the life I had" Zelena growled, upset that Regina had such a, carelessness towards her._

"_**But**, despite my shortcomings I made something of myself **dear**, and I didn't need Cora, **or Rumpelstiltskin**"_

"_Well it's too bad they're not around to see how well you turned out...they're both dead" Regina not so sadly informed her; pleased to see the look of shock on Zelena's face, which the green toad quickly recovered_

"_That's alright; you're the only one I need alive" Zelena said as she walked towards Regina_

"_**Really**? Why's that?"_

"_Because I'm going to take everything away from you"_

"_Too late; I've already lost everything that matters"_

"_Oh Regina, you haven't lost** anything** yet"_

"_So you **are** going to kill me?"_

"_**No**, it's too easy; for me to get what I want I need you to suffer. You see, what's in store for me, is all my dreams being realized; **but for you**? Well, **it's a fate worse than death**."_

"_Go ahead; **Bring it Greenie**"Regina growled as the two stood face to face_

"_**Indeed I will**; see ya soon sis" Zelena said before conjuring a broom, flying out of the castle, her cackle echoing through the room._

xx

"Regina, there's no truth to what she's saying, is there? I mean, it can't be true, because-"

"It could be" Regina said quietly

"It could be? How?" Charming asked, growing angry

"The crypt in my castle; it was sealed, with blood magic"

"Blood magic?"

"Yes, blood magic; the only way to get through it is-"

"If you're of blood relation; so The Wicked Witch is-"

"Hold on there; take a look at your arm Regina" Robin said, causing the Queen to look down; indeed, her arm had a scratch, or rather, a claw mark

"...I'm gonna kill her" Regina growled

"What's going on?"

"She sent those flying monkeys after me to-"

"To get your blood to open your crypt" Snow said, finishing the Queen's sentence

"So she's not your sister but, what does she want-"

"Not every villain that comes into The Enchanted Forest is after me Charming. Peter Pan wasn't after me, he was after Henry-"

"Who was your son"

"Who was also Pan's great grandson...because he was Rumple's father. I was indirectly involved"

"So if she has no vendetta against you then, maybe she has some sort of issue with your mother or Rumple..."

"She did say that she was a former student of his, and that she was angry that I got the life that she should've had"

"What did she mean by that?"

"Well, after claiming that my mother gave her up, she went into this sob story about how my mother gave me everything while she had nothing, and how Rumple used me to cast his curse instead of her"

"It's too bad he's dead, maybe we could ask him about her"

"Actually, he might not be" Belle said quietly

"How can he not be? We saw him die-"

"But we never saw his dagger" Neal said

"Neal, I know that you're dealing with the loss of your father and Emma and Henry but-"

"No, he may have a point Snow. The only way to truly kill The Dark One, is to become The Dark One" Regina said

"Plus, the knife, we never saw it" Belle said

"So, what are you two suggesting?" Charming asked

"We need to go to my father's castle"

"And do what exactly? I'm all for finding out what the hell this Wicked Witch wants but, even I know that something like that, like Rumpelstiltskin being alive, is a bit far fetched"

"It may be but; we need to try. Maybe Rumple left something at his castle there that can give us clues"

"His castle is enchanted with magic not even The Wicked Witch could get past. We'd all be safe there from her and those flying monkeys" Charming said.

With that, it was settled, they were going to Rumpelstiltskin's castle.

* * *

"Now Roland, I want you to be a good boy for Little John and Snow do you understand?" Robin said to his son the next day. Charming, Belle, Neal, Regina and Robin would all make the trip to Rumple's castle first, the others following the next day once they were sure there were no threats.

"But Papa, who's going to protect me if you and Regina are gone?"

"Little John can-"

"No! He doesn't have arrows and he doesn't have magic like Regina!" Roland said, his eyes pooling with tears.

"Allow me; Roland, do you see Snow?" Regina said, crouching down on the boy's level, turning him to face the princess who gave him a smile and a wave

"Snow knows how to use bows and arrows just like your father and Tinkerbell over there, she has magic"

"She does?"

"Yes, a different kind of magic but magic nonetheless. I trust Snow and Tinkerbell, they'll keep you safe until your father and I send for you"

"How long with that be?"

"Just a day or so, I promise"

"But, who's gonna tuck me in at night?" Roland asked as Regina reached into her pocket, pulling out a magic mirror

"Do you know what this is Roland?"

"It's a mirror" the boy said, stating the obvious; his facial expression was so undeniably cute that Regina had to resist the urge to kiss his head

"No, it's not _just_ a mirror; it's an _enchanted_ mirror"she said, watching as the boy's eyes lit up in wonder

"What does it do?"

"Well, it allows you to see whomever you wish to see...watch" she said demonstrating as she waved a hand over the mirror.

"Take a look in your mirror and tell me what you see" she asked, loving the gasp of excitement that escaped Roland's throat

"I see you! Regina I can see you, can you see me?"

"Yes Roland, I can see you" Regina said with a chuckle

"Now that, is how you and I will see one another when it's time for you to go to bed; but you have to promise me that you'll be a good little boy for Snow, Tink and Little John, okay?"

"Okay, promise" Roland said softly, rushing into the Queen's arms, taking her completely by surprise. After a moment, she pulled him into a hug, inhaling his scent of forest and little boy.

"I'll miss you" Roland whispered

"I'll miss you too; but it's only for a day or so"

"You promise?"

"I promise"

xx

"You were quite good with him; I usually have to coax him for a while or leave while he's not looking" Robin said a short time later after they had started for Rumpelstiltskin's castle

"Well, I've done that a time or two before"

"With your son?"

"He's not her son; he's my son" Neal said, causing Robin's head to turn

"Your son? I thought-"

"He's right; I didn't give birth to him but, I did raise him" Regina said quietly, closing her eyes in order to keep her emotions at bay. She wasn't going to let Neal know that what he'd said had hurt her.

"Neal" Belle hissed, hitting his arm

"It's, quite alright Belle; I should be used to things like that. I am after all The Evil Queen so why couldn't I be a mother?" Regina said as she briskly walked past everyone else.

This was turning out to be quite the trip.

xx

"That wasn't cool and you know it" Charming chided the young man

"It's true, she isn't Henry's mother; Emma is"

"But she raised him"

"Under a curse! How do we know she didn't-"

"For your information, your father procured Henry for me! I didn't steal him or anything of the sort!" Regina snapped, having had enough

"Let's make one thing clear; just because I didn't carry Henry in my womb for 9 months and push him out of my vagina, I was there for him a whole hell of a lot more than you or Emma were"

"Emma couldn't be there because you cast a curse-"

"That your father created! You wanna play that game Baelfire, well let's get some facts straight: your father created the curse in order to get back to you because he he abandoned you! I was merely a pawn in his sick and twisted game! You want to say I'm not Henry's mother, well if I weren't Henry's mother do you honestly think I would've jumped on a damn pirate ship with The Charmings and sailed to Neverland to save Henry. Let's not forget it wasn't Miss Swan who saved Henry's life it was me! I was the only one strong enough to rip Henry's heart out of Pan's chest! While Emma and Mary Margret were too busy being consumed by their guilt, I was the one who took down Pan. When Pan cast the new curse I was the one who stopped it, not for you or anyone else in that godforsaken town but for Henry, so that he could have a better life. I was the one, who gave Emma good memories so that she could have the life she didn't get to have, a life with Henry. If what I did for that little doesn't make me his mother then-" Regina started, only to have Robin Hood gently pull her away, giving Neal an angry glare before walking a far distance ahead with Regina.

xx

"Let go of me, thief!"

"No, you're going to listen"

"I don't have to listen to anything!"

"Yes you do, you're angry" Robin said calmly

"Damn right I'm angry! After everything I've done for Henry, he just-"Regina began, but was quickly pulled into Robin's arms for a hug which she of course resisted

"Let go of me!"

"No, I'm going to hug you; you do know what a hug is don't you?" Robin teased

"Of course I know what a hug is"Regina mumbled

"Then allow me to hug you; you could use a hug right now. What Neal said was way out of line" Robin said softly as he felt Regina begin to relax in his arms. Soon enough, he felt her body shudder against his. Looking down, he noticed that her face was buried deep within his shirt so that he could no longer see her face; she was crying, downright sobbing.

"Shh, shhh, it's alright Regina; just let it out"Robin said softly, his heart skipping a beat as he felt her fingers grasp the lapel of his coat. Her sobs were somewhat audible at this point, the cries so painful that they gripped at his soul. He did nothing but stand there for what felt like an eternity, holding The Evil Queen as she cried; and to him, there was no other place he'd rather be.

_Chapter 14 to follow..._

* * *

**Whew! A nice long chapter for you guys! I've got this story figured out for the most part; some parts are still unclear but, the rest will come around. Oh and I should clarify that yes, Rumple IS Christine for those of you who didn't know. Thank you all so much for your reviews! Knowing that you guys are having all sorts of feels as you read this makes me smile. **

**Well, until the next chapter (which could be up in the next few hours or sometime tomorrow-cause I'm on a friggin role here!)**

_**Take Care, dearies**_

**Xx**


	14. Connecting the Arrows and Dots

Storybrooke:

She continued to have the same dream for the next 3 days; she had also found herself rushing to the bathroom to puke her guts up. It was always the same dream; sometimes more...erotic. It was crazy; she could literally feel this man's hands on her body, his breath on her neck. She could feel the way his stubble would tickle her skin. She could feel her body as it exploded into ecstasy. Today though, the dream was a bit different.

_Of course they were in bed, a rather large plush bed; it was oddly reminiscent of her bed in her castle back in The Enchanted Forest. She could feel his body shudder, a laughter of some sort as he made his way back up her body, softly pecking her lips. She groaned in frustration as his hands moved lower, causing her breath to hitch involuntarily as she moaned. Like every other time, she found herself staring up at him, a loving look in her eyes. Though she could not see him at all, she felt the love he had for her. _

_A gasp of pleasure overtook her as he entered her. Being with this man was so, freeing. It was unlike anything else she had experienced in her life. The pleasure she felt as he moved inside of her was nearly overwhelming. Her heart felt as though it were going to explode out of her chest with each thrust. She could feel herself moaning, her breaths growing shorter and rapid each time. When she closed her eyes, something else happened. She could see her life with this man flashing before her eyes. She saw them together, a grin on her face as she ran into his arms, kissing him passionately. She saw them on their wedding day, the birth of their child. _

_With that, she felt herself go over the edge, not wanting to come back._

And as usual, she bolted upright, headed straight for the bathroom.

xx

Things with Roland hadn't changed much; he was still being accused of Daniel's death and stealing from Granny. Though he was no longer being held at the Sheriff station, but he had been reprimanded into Zelena's custody. She wasn't allowed to visit him under any circumstances, nor was she allowed to inquire about him. She felt trapped, as though she had hit a brick wall.

"Regina, we'll find a way to fix this" Snow said as the two walked through the woods that afternoon.

"I hate feeling so powerless" she muttered as she followed Snow who suddenly stopped

"Tell me again why we're in the middle of the woods, you looking as though you could pop any day now. I don't know how to deliver a baby" Regina muttered, causing Snow to chuckle

"You're gonna let off some steam" Snow said

"By doing what exactly?"

"Target practice" Snow smiled as she walked towards the tree, grabbing her bows and arrows

"_You're going to teach **me** how to shoot?_"

"_Why not? Y_ou might need to learn"

"I have magic" Regina shrugged

"You never know Regina" Snow said handing her the bow; the sight of Regina with a bow in her hands surprised the both of them; she looked like a natural.

"Relax your stance" Snow instructed, amazed as Regina easily took the proper stance

"Think you can conjur up an apple or something for you to aim at?" Snow asked, smiling as The Queen conjured several apples.

"Alright, whenever you're ready just-"Snow began, not able to finish her sentence; for to her surprise, Regina easily hit the apple, shooting a hole through it.

"_Oh my God! Regina you did it!_" Snow exclaimed, causing Regina to let out a laugh of surprise

"I did, didn't I?"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've done this before" Snow smirked

"Maybe I learned during the missing year" Regina said before both women burst into laughter

xx

The two practiced shooting targets for at least an hour, clearly enjoying themselves, as well as one another's company.

"_Oh come on Regina_! You _had_ to learn how to shoot a bow once!" Snow argued

"_I'm telling you Snow_! I don't remember learning how to shoot! What were you expecting?"

"I don't know; you're..._you know, **a Queen**_" Snow said as Regina rolled her eyes, though a smile was on her lips

"_Oh_, you were expecting something like this then" She said, demonstrating a rather nervous and sloppy shot. What surprised them both was the shout, followed by a groan coming from the woods.

"_Oh my God_, _**you shot someone with an arrow**!_" Snow shouted as the two women rushed towards Regina's target

"Well it was _your_ idea to do this!" Regina argued as they made their way into the thicket, surprised to see a man lying there, Regina's wayward arrow in his arm

"Oh, I am so sorry-"

"_Robin Hood_?" Snow said, completely confused

"I'm sorry m'lady but, who _are_ you?"

"Robin, it's me, Snow, Snow White" The young woman said as the man stood, his eyes transfixed on Regina

"You shot me" He said slowly

"I'm sorry"

"_You shot me with a bloody arrow_!"

"I _said_ I was sorry!"Regina snapped getting defensive

"Robin, are you-"

"I'm sorry but, _who's Robin_?" The man asked

"Why, you; you're Robin. Robin Hood"

"_Robin Hood_? That's bloody preposterous; Robin Hood's only a fairytale" the man said chuckling, causing the two women to exchange a glance

"Uh...sir; why don't we get you to the hospital. You've got arrow in your arm"

"Thanks to your friend"

"_Hey_! I _said_ I was sorry; _don't_ expect me to apologize again" Regina snapped as Snow lead the man to the car.

* * *

"_You shot him with an **arrow**_?" Charming asked as Regina glared at him

"Don't ask" Snow said, looking over her husband's shoulder at Robin, whose arm was being treated

"What were you two doing out in the woods anyway?"

"I was helping Regina blow off some steam"

"...You let _The Evil Queen_ blow off steam, **_by shooting arrows_**?"

"She's actually good!"

"She can't be if-"

"_She was joking around_! If I didn't know any better, I'd say she learned how to shoot from Robin Hood himself" Snow said as Dr. Whale approached them

"Is he going to be alright?" Snow asked

"Aside from complaining about the 'bloody woman who shot him'-" Whale said, earning a glare from Regina

"He'll be fine; it's a good thing you guys found him. He was in the asylum"

"Wait, Robin Hood was-"

"_Robin Hood_? Snow, you know Robin Hood's dead" Dr. Whale said, causing Snow's eyes to widen

"Oh, uh, right; sorry. He just, he reminded me of Robin, the accent and all" Snow said as Whale eyed her suspiciously

"...Right; we'll have to call Zelena and-"

"Wait, she runs the asylum too?" Regina asked

"You should know, you appointed her" Whale said just as Zelena approached

"Speak of the devil; _Zelena_" Regina greeted her sister with a fake smile

"So I hear that you've been associating with another wayward person. _Honestly Regina_" Zelena said shaking her head

"Well, _you_ should do a better job of keeping them locked away. He was wandering around in the woods"

"Where you and Snow were"

"_So I'm not allowed to take walks anymore_?"

"I _never_ said-"

"You're implying it; _I'm an adult Zelena_, capable of going and doing _whatever it is that I want_"

"You're right ,you are; but anytime you come into contact with people that belong to _me_, then you and I have a problem"

"They're not _your_ people; you don't _own_ them" Regina said, her eyes daring Zelena to challenge her

"Oh, we'll just see about that" Zelena said with a smirk before making her way into the mystery man's room.

That night when Regina went to bed, she had the same dream; only this time, her mystery man had a face: the man from the hospital, whom she was sure was Robin Hood.

_Chapter 15 to follow..._

* * *

**I told yall I was on a roll! 3 chapters in the same day? What?! This means I love you guys, a whole lot...should I write up chapter 15 too? You've gotta R&R if you want more!**

**Xx**


	15. Dark Horse

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

"_What the hell are they doing_?" Neal asked as himself, Belle and Charming approached Regina and Robin Hood

"_I think_...**_he's hugging her_**" Belle said, slightly confused

"Do you hear that? It sounds like-"

"_Crying_; you _made_ Regina cry!" Belle said smacking Neal across the arm

"Now _that's_ something I'd never expected" Charming said as Neal sighed

"I wasn't expecting her to cry, I thought-"

"No Neal, you _didn't_ think. Regina may have done some, _not so nice things_ but, she's still a person with feelings" Belle said as she walked towards Regina and Robin.

He stood there, gently rubbing her back as he inhaled her scent; she was wearing some sort of expensive perfume that had a hint of flowers and some tropical like fruit. He only looked up when he heard a set of footsteps approaching. Apparently, Regina heard this too, because she quickly pulled away from his embrace, her back now facing him and Belle.

"Regina..." The librarian started

"Save it bookworm" she snapped, her voice was slightly raspy; apparently, h85er crying was more than just about what Neal had said.

"Are you alright?" Belle asked

"Fine; now, can we keep going?" she asked, not bothering to wait for a response as she trekked onward.

"Neal, say something to her" Belle hissed as Neal sighed, jogging to catch up to Regina

"Look, Regina I'm-" Neal began but was only met with a full forced slap from Regina

"If you _ever_ tell me I'm not Henry's mother again, I will _rip_ your heart out; and that isn't a threat, it's a promise" She said glaring at him before she continued to walk

"..._O-kay_; remind me to _never_ piss off an Evil Queen again" Neal muttered

"_I heard that_!" Regina snapped

"I honestly can't believe you slapped Neal" Robin said, having to jog to keep up with her; it made him wonder how in the hell was she was able to walk so fast while wearing heels, very, _very_ high heels

"What were you expecting?" she asked

"_Well_, not a slap"

"What? You were expecting me to rip his heart out, _throw a fireball at him...**Turn him into a toad**_?"

"...Something along those lines"

"Well, as much as I wanted to...I couldn't"

"Why not?"

"Because" Regina said with a sigh and an eye roll

"He's Henry's father; and if I did any of those things...Henry would never forgive me" she said quietly

"Wow, you really do love the lad, don't you?"

"It's the only reason I cast the curse in the first place" she said as they arrived at Rumpelstiltskin's palace.

"Just like I remember it" Regina said sarcastically

xx

Not much had changed since the last time Regina had been there; though it looked much more, worn. It was one of the few structures that managed to survive her curse; maybe Rumple had enchanted it from destruction.

"I know it's nothing like your palace but-"Robin began

"_A palace is a palace_; besides, it's not like this is going to be my permanent home anyways" she said as they entered.

"It's dark" Charming said

"I can fix that" Regina said with a smile; with a wave of her hand, things in the castle begin to take shape, slowly returning to it's former glory days prior to the curse.

"Regina, thank you" Belle said quietly

"I didn't do this for you; if everyone else is supposed to be coming tomorrow, we certainly can't have them living as though we're still in Sherwood Forest now can we?" She said moving up the long staircase

"_And just where are you headed_?" Robin asked, causing Regina to turn around

"That's none of your business"

"I _do_ believe it is; this is my-"

"_Ah, ah, ah_; I _do_ believe this castle belongs to Neal and Belle now. Time for you to return it to its rightful owners now" Regina said with a smile before disappearing beyond the top of the stairs

"Sometimes, that woman can be so..."

"_Infuriating_?" Charming asked, giving the thief a smile

"Yes!"

"It's part of her charm; Regina...takes time to grow on you" Charming said

"Has she grown on you?"

"...If you tell her she has, I'll deny it"

"Oh, something tells me that she would rather have you hate her than to like her" Robin said as he too made his way up the stairs.

* * *

**Storybrooke:**

Something was wrong; something was _terribly_ wrong she thought to herself. She had been like this for a week at least, throwing up every morning. She couldn't explain it but, something felt..._off _about her body. While she still looked good, her clothes seemed just a bit more, _snug_ than usual. Checking herself out in the mirror, Regina tried putting her finger on what it was taht was different about herself.

"You're glowing" Christine pointed out to her mother that morning as she peeked her head inside of the bedroom

"_Am I_?" Regina asked, turning to face the young girl

"Yeah; you look...different" Christine said, observing her mother

"I don't' know; something feels..._off_" Regina said with a frown as she stood in front of her mirror admiring her outfit. It was simple; a maroon colored dressed that fit her body perfectly, paired with a just as amazing shoe and bag.

"I think it's the shoe" Christine commented, taking Regina by surprise; that wasn't what she had been expecting. _Maybe_ she was just going crazy; _maybe_ it was just the stress of trying to find out who had cursed the town. _Maybe_ it was her being worried about Roland._ Maybe_ it was the mystery man from her dreams, who turned out to be the guy she had shot with the arrow (_who happened to look **exactly** like Robin Hood_)

"...You think it's the shoe?"

"Mmmm, yeah; you should try another shoe" Christine said still giving her mother the once over.

"Are you sure that's all?" Regina asked

"I'm pretty sure that's it" Christine said

"Well, it's almost 8; you're gonna be late for school" Regina said with a fake smile. There was still something about this girl that unnerved her.

"Yeah, better go get my backpack...hey mom?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I, walk to school today?"

"You want to walk to school today?" Regina repeated, noticing the change in the girl's behavior

"...Yeah"

"No; it's too far plus, it's raining. Get your coat, I'll drive you" Regina said, causing Christine to roll her eyes

"Alright fine" she huffed, leaving the room

xx

There was something, off about everything; what exactly, she couldn't put her finger on it. After dropping Christine off at school, Regina made plans to head over to Snow's. Maybe she and Charming could help her figure out what the _hell_ was going on. Just as she reached the stop light, she noticed something in the middle of the road; it was small and still. Squinting, Regina's heart rate increased when she noticed that the thing in the road wasn't a what, but a who: _Roland_. Putting her car in park, she made her way over to the tiny boy who lay in the middle of the road.

"Roland? _Roland can you hear me?_" Regina called out

Fear overtook her as she frantically leaned in, checking for a pulse; there was one, but it was weak. His tiny body was nearly as cold as ice. She had to do something; she couldn't just let him lie there and die in the middle of the street. She did the only logical thing she could do, she took him home.

When he woke up, he was warm; nice and toasty like. His nose came to life at the smell of something delicious. Sitting up, the 5 year old rubbed his tired eyes. _Where was he?_ He wasn't at the shelter anymore, this certainly wasn't the asylum. No, this place felt different than any other place he had been. Something about this place felt, _familiar_ to him. Pulling the covers back Roland carefully got out of the rather large bed, his small feet hitting the plush carpet as he carefully made his way out of the room he was in.

He was in somebody's house, of that much was certain. As he made his way into the hallway, he could hear voices coming from downstairs, female voices. They sounded rather familiar to him; though he couldn't think straight, the smell of food was wafting through his nostrils, making it really hard to concentrate on anything else at the moment. Carefully, he made his way down the stairs, one step at a time. As he rounded the corner, the voices became more familiar; one of them belonged to Regina.

"Regina, are you _sure_ you should've brought him home?" He heard Snow White ask

"There was _no way_ I was going to leave him on the side of the road in the rain to die. Plus, I wasn't going to take him back to Zelena"

"She's going to find out that he's here Regina" Snow said, just as Regina's eyes landed on Roland's, causing the boy to look down in shame for eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Hi Roland; did you sleep good?" Regina asked with a smile, causing the boy to nod

"You remember Snow don't you?"

"Hi Roland" Snow said, giving him a smile

"Are you hungry Roland?" Regina asked, both women chuckling as Roland's stomach responded for him

"Well, luckily for you; I made soup" Regina said, helping him onto the bar stool before placing a bowl in front of him.

xx

"Roland, can you tell us what you were doing out in the rain?" Snow asked as she and Regina watched the little boy hungrily gobble up the soup

"I was running away" Roland declared

"Why were you running away?" Regina asked

"'Cause I don't like Zelena, and I don't wanna go to jail" Roland replied, causing both women to exchange glances

"Roland...why don't you like Zelena?" Snow asked

"She's not nice and...sometimes, I see her with a strange man who turns into Christine" Roland said causing both women's eyes to widen

"A man who turns into Christine?"

"Mmhm!"

"Roland, are you sure-"

"They meet up in the woods or at the home" Roland said

"In the woods?"

"Mmhm!" Roland said, glancing down at his bowl, which was now empty

"Would you like some more soup Roland?" Regina asked

"Yes please!"

Once Roland had started on his second bowl of soup, Regina and Snow took the opportunity to talk quietly in the living room.

"A man who turns into Christine?" Snow asked

"...Wait a minute;Snow, a man that turns into Christine. Think about it"

"You mean, you think Rumple-"

"It's got to be him; he's the only other person, besides me who can shape shift into someone else"

"So, there's a possibility that Rumpelstiltskin is alive?" Snow asked

"Yes, and if that's true, it means-"

"Zelena is behind this"

"But the bigger question is, _who is she really_?"

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

"So, _this_ is where you ran off to, Rumpelstiltskin's library?" Robin Hood asked, causing Regina to look up. Somehow, she looked, much different than she did before. Her hair was much shorter, she wore glasses, her make up and attire were less...Evil Queen like.

"You look surprised to see me" Regina said

"You look, _different_" Robin said, still staring at her in a tiny bit of amazement; even without her dramatic Evil Queen costumes Regina looked, breathtakingly beautiful

"Well, this how I looked in Storybrooke; the place everyone went when the first curse was cast" Regina explained

"Ah; well allow me the first to say that in this..._Storybrooke_ outfit you look less, _intimidating_"

"Rest assured Robin Hood that I am _still, _The Evil Queen. The outfits don't define how evil I am"

"Well in this outfit you look less evil and more..."

"More what?"

"_Nice_"

"_Don't_ say that word in association to me; we both know I am _ not_ nice"

"You're nice to Roland" Robin said softly

"Because I_ like_ Roland"

"But you don't like anyone else?"

"_Why should I?_ They don't like me anyways" Regina said with a shrug, turning her attention back to her book

"What are you reading?"

"A book about blood magic"

"Trying to decide on whether or not The Wicked Witch is really your sister?"

"I just, I need to see how she was able to do that"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No; Magic's not as simple as you think Robin"

"This is why I don't delve into magic"

"Well, it's too late for me to turn back"

"It's never too late"

"I'm an Evil Queen...I think that makes it a tad bit too late for me to turn back"

"It doesn't have to be; you have the chance to prove to people that you're-"

"_Good_?" Regina said with a dry chuckle

"You don't think you can be good?"

"Being good isn't the problem..._the problem is that_, I've done good; more good to last me a lifetime but, to them...I'll always be The Evil Queen. I mean, did you see how quick Grumpy was to assume that I had set them all up and hid the fact that The Wicked Witch was my sister"

"_What more can you expect from a man named Grumpy_?" Robin said, causing Regina to laugh, more genuinely this time

"You should do that more often"

"What?"

"Laugh"

"I have no reason to"

"Then find a reason to" Robin said as Belle came into the library

"Robin, Regina...there seems to be a problem: _Roland's gone missing_"

_Chapter 16 to follow..._

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! I know, I know how crazy is that? But I promise you, it gets better! It's been a long day so, I may or may not upload another chapter today...but if I were you, I'd be on the look out for chapter 16-just in case.**

**Xx**


	16. And I Would've Swallowed My Pride

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

With 3 small words, everything had suddenly changed. Their mission to defeat The Wicked Witch was overshadowed by a problem much more monumental than that: Roland had gone missing.

"What the _hell_ do you mean he's gone missing!?" Regina shouted, glancing over at Robin who was now deathly pale.

"We _have_ to find him" Robin said quietly

"_**And we will**_" Regina assured Robin before turning to Belle, giving the young librarian her best Evil Queen glare

"_Well_, _**I'm waiting**_! _What the hell happened Belle_?"

"Snow said she went to check on him and he was gone...Robin, please say something" Belle said, glancing over at the thief, who was once again quiet.

"How did you find out-"

"I got here as fast as I could" Tinkerbell said, suddenly appearing in the room completely out of breath

"What the hell happened Tink!? I trusted you with him!"

"I dunno Regina! He was in his tent one minute and then the next, he was gone. Robin, I'm so sorry" Tink said as Robin stood there, deathly silent.

"Charming and a couple of Robin's Merry Men are out searching for him; he couldn't have gone far" Belle said

"If only we had a way to track him" Belle said

"He couldn't have gotten that far; he's 5 for God's sakes!" Tink said as Regina's eyes suddenly lit up

"Regina, what is it?"

"_The magic mirror_! That will tell us where he is!" She said, reaching into her pocket for her half of the magic mirror. Closing her eyes, Regina focused all of her energy on the little boy she so desperately wished to find. Sighing with relief, a picture of a little Roland, wandering around in the woods came into view.

xx

He was in the woods, wandering; he knew that Regina said he could trust Tink and Snow, but they weren't Regina, and they weren't papa. _What if those flying Monkeys came back_? _Could Tink __**really**__ turn them into stuffed animals the way Regina had_? He missed Papa and Regina terribly, _especially Regina_; she was always so nice to him. Thinking of her, the young boy pulled out the magic mirror she had given him, only to see Regina's reflection in the mirror

"_Regina_?"

"Roland! Roland sweetheart, can you hear me!"

"Regina! I can see you!" Roland exclaimed as Regina grinned at him

"Roland, where are you?"

"I'm coming to see you and Papa" the boy said simply

"Roland, _where_ are you?"

"In the 'chanted Forest silly" Roland said with a smile, causing Regina to chuckle

"No Roland; I need you to look around and tell me what you see" she said

"Ummm...there's trees and, oh I see a castle!"

"A castle? What does it look like Roland?"

"It's big, with lots of spikes at the top" Roland replied

"Big spikes?" Robin asked

"Spikes...my castle, he's at my castle" Regina said suddenly

"Roland, how far away from the castle are you?"Regina asked

"It's far away but I can still see it!"

"Roland,stay there, your papa and I are coming to get you alright?"Regina said as the little boy nodded before the picture vanished

"You're going to go get him? You're not even sure exactly where he is!" Tink exclaimed

"I'm going; there's no way I'm going to let him stay out there in the woods with a Wicked Witch and crazy flying monkeys on the loose!" Regina shouted

"I'm coming with you" Tink said

"No, oh no! This, I do alone" Regina said

"Like hell you won't! I'm coming with you" Robin said

"So am I" Tink agreed

"I don't need-"

"Those flying Monkeys are after you Regina, somebody else with magic should come along, just in case" Tink argued

"Fine" Regina said, rolling her eyes as the three of them poofed away in a cloud of purple smoke.

* * *

He did as Regina told him; he stood right there in that exact same spot, looking around every few minutes for Papa and Regina. They would come for him, he knew they would. Much time had passed since he talked to Regina which worried him, but he knew she was coming-she had to. He was only 5, and didn't know how to tell time, but he knew that with the way the sun was beginning to go down, that a lot it was almost night. Nighttime was the scariest part for Roland. Living in Sherwood Forest, the boy had seen plenty things that would undoubtedly scare him. Glancing around once more, he could feel the small gush of wind that flows through the air, sending a chill down his spine. Papa and Regina would come for him, they just had to he told himself over and over. There was a sound, a rustle in the bushes, causing Roland to turn around and look; no one was there. He had to be brave, he had to be strong like Papa was; they were coming, Regina had promised. Taking out the small magic mirror, Roland stared into it, wishing to see Regina's face again. Sadly, nothing happened; he couldn't see anything aside from his own reflection.

"Maybe I can help you with that" A voice said, startling him

"Wh-who are you?"

"My name's Zelena, what's your name?"

"P-papa said, I shouldn't talk to strangers" Roland said, stuttering over his words a bit

"Oh, nonsense; I'm not a stranger...I just want to help you. Are you lost?"

"No; my papa said to wait right here, he'd come for me"

"Are you sure? It's getting late out; I'm sure he won't mind if you wait up at my castle" Zelena said, walking closer to him; there was something about this woman that unnerved the young boy, just a bit.

"No; Papa will come" Roland said, just as more noise, a rustling noise came through the bushes

"Roland?"

"John?"

"Roland! There you are! You nearly gave us a..."

"John! You found him? Get away from him you witch!" Charming shouted, his sword drawn, ready to fight the witch if need be.

"Foolish man!" Zelena said, tossing Charming's sword from his hand with a flick of her wrist

"It's alright Roland, I won't hurt you" Zelena said, turning her attention back towards the boy, who was now cowering away from her

"Get away from him you green freak!" Regina shouted, causing Zelena to turn around

"_Oh_, so he's _your_ son?" Zelena said with delight

"You lay one hand on him and I will end you" Regina growled, moving towards the Wicked Witch

"I'll tell you what, why don't we make a trade: you, for the boy" Zelena said, quickly grabbing Roland, who let out a frightened cry

"Regina!"

"It's alright Roland; let him go" Regina said calmly

"But what fun would that be? Besides, I thought you said you didn't have anything left to live for?" Zelena taunted, running a hand along Roland's cheek

"Let him go, _or else_"

"_**Or else what**__?_" Zelena said with a wicked grin; however, her grin was quickly replaced with a look of shock, followed by a howl of pain as an arrow shot through her arm, causing her to let go of Roland, who quickly ran towards Regina.

"You're going to regret this Regina! I will make you pay, starting with your little thief and his son!" Zelena growled before disappearing in a green cloud of smoke.

"Roland, are you alright?" Regina asked, frantically searching the boy over for any harm

"...I knew you'd come for me!" Roland said, wrapping his arms around her before breaking away and running towards his father who quickly scooped him up into his arms, kissing his head several times.

"You scared Regina and I half to death! Don't ever run away like that again Roland, do you hear me?"

"Yes Papa; but I just wanted you...and Regina" Roland said softly

"Well, looks like I'll have to keep an extra close eye on you then" Regina said with a smile as Roland held his arms out to her

"Promise you'll keep me safe Regina?" Roland asked as the Queen gently tapped his nose

"I promise"

xx

"My son is quite smitten with you" Robin Hood said later that night after everyone had arrived back at Rumpelstiltskin's castle.

"I'm just, _doing my job_, that's all"

"You can't _possibly_ call what you're doing for him a _job_. You got the boy to take a bath with ease! I've never-"

"Just a little trick I learned with Henry" Regina said with a shrug

"So I'm pretty sure you squealing and laughing with delight was all apart of your, _'job'_ then, right?"

"He's 5..._all 5 year olds deserve to be happy_"Regina said quietly, turning around to head to her own bedroom

"And so do not so Evil Queen's" Robin called out

"_Not so Evil Queen's_?" Regina said as she turned around, an eyebrow raised in curiosity

"In fact, if I were you'd I'd get rid of the _Evil_ moniker all together"

"I can't do that" Regina said with a shake of her head

"_You mean you **can't** or you **won't**_?"

"_Both_"

"_How is it both_?"

"_Because for one_, you can't take away a title you didn't give to yourself _and two_, the name serves me well. People tremble in fear at the title alone"

"Though I'm sure after today, not many people will-"

"And _that_, is where you're wrong, _thief_; _people will **always** be afraid of The Evil Queen_" Regina said, a small smile playing on her lips as she began to walk away

"They may be afraid of The Evil Queen, but I'm sure they wouldn't be afraid of Regina"

"_And why wouldn't they be_?"

"_Because today_, _**Regina**_ saved my son's life; _**Regina**_ is the woman that my son knows, not some _Evil Queen_"

"Don't you understand dear, **_we're one in the same_**; I am both. I'm Regina, _**and** I'm The Evil Queen_. It's a part of me; they're **_both_**, apart of who I am"

"They may _both_ be a part of you, but you control which one people see" Robin said quietly

"...I'm curious; who do _you_ see me as?"

"I see Regina; and to be honest, I'm quite fond of her"

"_You **like** Regina_?"

"_Very much so_; _Regina is smart_, she's _sassy_, _she's a little bit rude_...but she's also _kind_, loving, gentle and my son _adores_ her. How can I _not_ admire a woman my son thinks the world of?"

"_You admire me_?"

"You've saved my son's life twice now in less than a week's time. You're the reason he ran away; you protect him. If I didn't know any better-"

"_Please_, **_don_**'t finish that sentence" Regina said softly, the sting of Tinkerbell's bells words coming back to haunt her.

"_Did I do something wrong_?"

"No, I just...it's late; good night, Robin"Regina said quickly, turning in the opposite direction, headed towards her chambers. No, she wouldn't allow herself to think like that. She wouldn't allow herself to become, attached to them, to Roland or to Robin. She couldn't let herself think that way. _No_, she _had_ a family, _Henry_. _Henry_ was her family, _Henry_ was her son. So why was it that when Zelena asked if Roland was her that she desperately wanted to scream _yes_? Reaching her room, Regina quickly pushed the door open, closing it behind her as she sank to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest as tears threatened to escape her eyes.

"_Dammit_...I love them" she admitted.

_Chapter 17 to follow..._

* * *

**I know, I know! 2 whole days for an update, and it's only one chapter!? I suck LOL. Ah, life got a little crazy, and this chapter was kind of hard to write. You guys are so awesome, almost 60 reviews and close to 70 followers? Wow! I'd love to see this story get a few hundred reviews and at least 100 followers. Think you guys could help me out with that? If ya don't, eh it's cool too-I'm just grateful that you guys are enjoying this story. Who's ready for Sunday's episode? Let's hope we get PLENTY of OQ time!**

**Take Care, **

**Xx**


	17. Wishes and Change

**I think, we're gonna be in The Enchanted Forest, aka Fairy Tale Land for a few chapters. I can't say how many but, we're gonna be here for a while. Almost 60 reviews and over 70 follows-wow! You guys are amazing. I'm sorry I haven't been in power mood, giving you guys multiple chapter updates this week, life's been really hectic. So I'm pushing myself to give you guys an update-just in time for Easter (for those of you who celebrate it) for Sunday's episode. He's hoping that we get some much needed Outlaw Queen screen time.**

**Enjoy,**

**Xx**

* * *

"_You're trying to save me stop holding your breath"-Eminem _

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

_**Love**? She** loved **them? _Love was such a strong word, especially when using it towards Robin Hood. She didn't _love_ _him love him_. No, no, no. Cared for him? That was too strong a word to use for the thief as well. Was there even a word to describe how Regina felt for Robin? She...liked him. Yes! That was it, she liked him. And no, it wasn't in a romantic way that could possibly lead to love; even if she did find his accent sexy as hell. She liked him; he wasn't so bad for a thief who smelled like Forest. _Roland on the other hand_? Now _him_ she loved. She tried rationalizing to herself that it was because of Tink's stupid prophecy and because she missed Henry, but there was more to it. Even before she learned that Robin was the man with the Lion tattoo, she felt a strange connection to Roland. He was so sweet, one of the first people who didn't see her as a villain or The Evil Queen. He saw her as Regina, a smart, pretty woman who was his friend. _Friend_, The Queen never really had one of those. _That_, was why she loved Roland. Still standing behind her door, Regina found herself taking several deep cleansing breaths before moving. Once she did, there was a knock at the door.

"What?" she snapped, sitting down at her vanity as she prepared for bed.

"Can I come in?"

Snow; the last person she wanted to see, but for some reason she relented.

"Come in Snow"

There was something...different about the young woman, a certain look, or glow rather about her. It wasn't until she looked down and saw the small swell of her stomach that she knew.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" was the first thing that flew from Regina's mouth

"I, yes" Snow said, hanging her head

"No need to feel ashamed; you're lucky. _Princesses are **always** lucky_. **_Villains_**? _not so much_" Regina said with a sigh, and a shake of her head running a hand through her hair.

"You've got Storybrooke hair" Snow said with a smile

"The Evil Queen hair doesn't appeal to me as much anymore"

"Apparently neither do the clothes" Snow said gesturing towards her attire; a simple pair of slacks and a shirt

"Storybrooke has been my home for over 28 years, not this place"

"It's not who you are anymore" Snow said

"I haven't been the person I was before the curse for a while now"

"I don't think you were ever The Evil Queen; I think you hid behind the title" Snow said, causing Regina to stop mid brush and stare at her through the vanity mirror

"Then exactly who _was_ I Snow?"

"You were a woman who lost the love of her life; you were angry, you were scared. You turned to The Evil Queen and sought comfort in her" Snow said. With this statement, Regina could say nothing. Everything Snow had said was true. She had hidden behind the moniker of The Evil Queen in order to mask the pain she felt of losing Daniel.

"...So, do you know what you're having yet?"

"It's too early to tell but, Charming wants a boy; I think we both do" Snow said, a smile on her face as she placed a hand on her small bump

"Snow...I wanted to, apologize for the curse" Regina said, taking the princess for surprise

"I'm sorry?"

"I said I'm sorry, about the curse, for ruining your happiness"

"Regina, where's this coming from?" Snow asked, genuine confused by the whole thing

"I just...I'm not The Evil Queen anymore; I can't keep pretending that I'm her. She is so..._exhausting_" Regina said with a sigh, resting her head in her hands as her elbows rested on the vanity.

"This change, not wanting to be the Evil Queen anymore wouldn't happen to have anything with a certain Robin of Locksley,_ would it_?" Snow asked, moving towards the vanity where Regina said

"**_What_**? _No_! This isn't about Robin, it's about-"

"Roland"

"And Henry; ever since the curse broke and Henry walked away from me, I haven't been The Evil Queen. Now that he's gone-"

"You can never be The Evil Queen again"

"I have no energy to be her; plus...Roland, he was the first person to see me as, just Regina"

"Regina, I saw-"

"No Snow; you haven't seen me as Regina in a very long time. Roland, he sees me, for who I am..._he called me his friend_" Regina said, looking up at Snow with a smile on her face just as Robin burst into the bedroom

"Robin, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt but, it's Roland; he's having a nightmare and wishes to see no one but Regina" the thief said practically out of breath

"Well, I guess duty calls" Regina said quietly, as she stood, preparing to go to Roland

"Regina! Wait!" Snow called, reaching out to grasp the older woman's hand

"...I could be your friend, if you'd let me; I miss the woman who saved my life" Snow said with a smile

"That woman is long gone Snow...but maybe...being friends would be a such a bad thing" Regina said softly, taking the princess's hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze before leaving the room with Robin.

xx

"What happened to him?" Regina asked, following Robin in relative silence

"He woke up screaming; said that The Wicked Witch was after him" Robin said as they stopped outside of the room listening as Little John tried to calm him

"I want Regina!" The boy sobbed; Regina's heart ached, hearing Roland cry out for her like that.

"Roland my boy, look who I found for you" Robin said as he walked into the room where Roland sat in Little John's lap sniffling.

"Hi Roland" Regina said softly once Robin stepped aside

"_Regina_!" The boy cried, jumping out of John's arms, rushing up to the former Queen who instantly picked him up, running a hand through his hair.

"It's okay, I'm here now; you're safe" She said softly, gently stroking his hair, wiping away his tears

"I was scared" the boy whimpered, resting his head on her shoulder as she carried him towards the bed

"What did you dream about?" Regina asked him, taking a seat on the side of the bed

"The Witch and those monkeys...but you and Papa didn't come for me" Roland sniffed as he pulled back to look into Regina's eyes

"Your papa and I will _always_ come for you Roland"

"You promise Regina?"

"I could never lie to you Roland; I will _always_ find you" She said, laughing to herself; Charming and Snow seemed to really be rubbing off on her, seeing as she had just quoted them.

"You'll always find me?"

"I always find the people I love" she said, taking Roland by surprise, as well as everyone else in the room.

"_You love me Regina_?" Roland asked, his eyes full of wonder.

She swallowed hard at his question, feeling all eyes on her, Robin's especially. It was the truth, she really did love him; and not just because he was Robin Hood's son either.

"...Yes Roland, I do love you. I love you _very_ much" Regina said, swallowing the lump in her throat along with the tears that were stinging her eyes.

"_You **really** love me Regina_?" Roland asked softly

"I do" Regina nodded, still blinking back those pesky tears

"I love you too" Roland said, wrapping his arms around her neck, burying his head into her chest. And then, he uttered six little words that would forever change everything.

"I wish you were my mama"

_Chapter 18 to follow..._


	18. Unperfect Love Story

"_Who wants that perfect love story anyway?"-Beyonce _

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

Robin stood near the doorway, watching Regina with Roland. The sight alone was enough to make his heart constrict. Roland needed a mother and had been robbed of that chance due to his own selfishness. He had inadvertently put Marion in danger doing a raid. It was never his intention, Marion being in danger; but it had happened. As a result, Roland had been robbed of what he was receiving from Regina, love. Of course Robin loved his son more than anything in the world, but there was something about a Mother's love that he just couldn't provide for his son.

Plus, there was the constant fear of him losing his life due to his dangerous job. Yes, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor was noble but, Robin's life was at steak every day. At any time, Roland could become an orphan. Seeing Roland with Regina did something to Robin's heart. Watching how Roland instantly calmed down by simply being in Regina's presence sent a calming feeling over him. He stood there for what felt like hours watching the two of them. He smiled as Roland soon grew tired again, somehow cuddling himself even further into Regina's embrace.

"Someone's sleepy again" Regina said, gently tapping Roland's nose

"_Regina_?"

"Yes?"

"_Can I stay with you_?" Roland asked through a yawn.

This question caused Regina to finally turn and face Robin, who had been watching the entire time.

"He's quite comfortable with you" Robin pointed out

"That he is" Regina said as Roland grinned at her

"I don't see why not; it seems as though sleep will elude him unless he's with you" Robin said, both adults chuckling as Roland let out a squeal of delight.

"Alright, mister, it's time for you to be asleep" Regina said as she stood, Roland clinging to her for dear life as Robin held the door open.

"_One more story_" Roland pleaded, already half asleep as Regina carried him down the hall, Robin following close behind

"You're practically asleep Roland" Regina chuckled as they reached her bedroom

"**_Pleeassee_**?"

"Alright fine; **_one more story_**, but then you go to sleep understood?"

"Yes Regina" Roland said as she placed him underneath the covers.

xx

Robin continued to watch as Regina told Roland a rather animated story, causing the little boy giggle and squirm underneath the covers as she tickled him. The sounds and sights of Roland and Regina together tugged on Robin's heart strings. She was an Evil Queen and he was a thief. However seeing Roland so happy with Regina caused him to look past their titles. It was this part of her, her maternal side, that made Robin realize that he could see himself being with her. Since the prophecy, he had been cautious of Regina, not wanting to make any moves towards her, out of fear that she would think he was only trying to fulfill the prophecy. In truth, ever since their first encounter, he had felt something for her. It was her vulnerable side that made her appealing to him. That and, she was by far _the most** stunning**_ woman he had _ever _laid eyes upon. Her presence alone was enough to have the thief as her captive. Yes she was stubborn, and rude, but underneath, he saw more. He saw a woman in pain, a woman, who just wanted to be happy. Robin was able to see a mother; a more softer, gentler side of this infamous Evil Queen. If he were honest, he liked this side of her much better than the audacious Queen. Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked up to see Roland fast asleep, Regina beside him, lovingly stroking his hair her eyes watching him intently.

"_Who would've thought,_ that a**_ 5 year old_ **would win over the heart of an Evil Queen" Robin joked, causing Regina to turn around, her eyes watery

"_Did I say something wrong_?"

"I'm not supposed to love him" she whispered painfully

Seeing her in such distress caused Robin a great deal of pain. Reaching across the covers, he took her hand in his, desperately wanting to relieve Regina of any pain she could be feeling.

"What do you mean?"

"_Why is it_, that he's the **_only one_** who can see me for who I_ **really**_ am?" She whispered

And then he got it; Roland saw her as Regina, not as the Queen.

"Come with me" he said suddenly, causing a look of confusion to come across her face.

"Roland shall be fine; we'll just be out on the balcony" Robin said, gesturing to the outside. Reluctantly, Regina agreed.

xx

The air was cool, crisp against her skin as she stared out into the vast space.

"I did that" she said quietly, her eyes never leaving the sky view of the Enchanted Forest

"Did what?"

"I destroyed this place" she said quietly, her finger pointing out at the beautiful land that once was The Enchanted Forest, their home.

"You were a different person then Regina"

"I'm still the same person Robin, _don't you see that_?"

"You're not the same person, otherwise, I wouldn't trust you with my son"

"_What_?"

"_I said_, if you were still the same person you were before, I wouldn't feel...comfortable entrusting Roland to you if something ever-"

"Robin, I-"

"You're the only one he trusts; and we both know that Roland is at risk of being an orphan everyday"

"Not anymore; there's no Evil Queen or a Sheriff of Nottingham wanting to kill you"

"The Sheriff is _still_ out there and he still wishes my head on a platter. _Plus_, there's a Wicked Witch on the loose as well. It's dangerous for Roland. He doesn't have a mother and-"

"I can't" Regina said quickly

"Regina-"

"No! I'm not, I'm not his mother; I never got that chance to be..."

"Regina..." Robin said cautiously, not wanting to scare her

"Tinkerbell...she said, I could've been Roland's mother" she admitted, looking up at him with a pained expression.

"Oh, Regina,"

"And when I look at him; I see pieces of myself; his eyes, his hair. I feel like, like he could be mine. At first, I thought it was because I missed Henry but-"

"It's because he sees you as Regina, and not some..."

"Say it? He doesn't see me as the _monster_ I **_really_** am" Regina said, her voice raw from emotion; she quickly turned around, wiping away a few tears

"You don't have to hide your emotions from me; I saw you cry just yesterday, _remember_?" Robin teased as she laughed slightly before turning around

"There it is again" Robin said with a smile

"What?"

"That beautiful smile of yours" Robin said softly, causing Regina to blush

"Did I just see the Queen, Regina, _blush_?" Robin said, getting another laugh out of her

"You are the most beautiful when you laugh; but I find you to be the most beautiful when you're with my son" Robin said, a sudden tension filling the space between them.

"He's an amazing little boy" Regina said, swallowing, though on the inside her heart was racing rapidly

"You seem to bring out the best in him. I don't think I've ever seen my son giggle and be so full of laughter"

"He's such a sweet little boy; I'm not convinced he learned that from you" Regina teased, causing Robin to feign hurt

"My dear Queen, I _do_ believe you've insulted me" Robin said, causing Regina to laugh even more

"Well, I'm not exactly the _nicest_ person"

"You're nice to my boy!"

"Because he's special; _you on the other hand_...smell like Forest" Regina said with a grin as Robin's eyes widened with delight

"Oh, _do I_?"

"Yes, you do" Regina nodded as Robin came closer to her

"_How is it_, that Roland doesn't smell like forest? When that's where he's lived his entire life"

"Roland is a little boy; he can smell like forest and it be okay. _You on the other hand_..."

"_Why you **rude** woman_!" Robin said with a laugh, causing Regina to laugh also; the sound of her laugh sounding off like a melody in his ears.

"_You are breathtakingly beautiful_" Robin said once their laughter had died down. There he was, causing that tension to come between them. It was enough to make Regina's heart pound faster and this feeling of, butterflies to form in her stomach. There was an awkward pause of silence between the two of them for a few moments, with Regina trying to regain her composure.

"I hope I didn't cause you too much-"

"I like you Robin, I like you...a lot" Regina said, blushing with embarrassment at her confession. _**What the hell was she thinking**_? Was she some sort of love sick teenager? **_'I like you a lot'_** she chided herself.

To her surprise, Robin simply smiled, shaking his head as he moved closer to her, causing her heart to beat faster than ever; that stupid feeling of butterflies in her stomach to swell.

"I'm glad, because I like you too Regina; though I think it could be more" he said softly

"Please don't say you love me" she whispered, her heart hammering in her chest as her stomach did somersaults.

"No, but one day...maybe I could" he whispered as he closed the small space between them. There was nowhere for her to run. She was trapped against the wall. Sighing heavily, she decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. And so she did, she kissed Robin Hood. But the weirdest thing happened: there was magic between them-_literally_.

_Chapter 19 to follow..._

* * *

**I have been trying to edit this chapter all day; my computer kept freezing and then I had to run errands but I FINALLY got done! Chapter 19 is in the process of being written so, you could get it as an Easter present some time tomorrow! Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it!**

**Xx**


	19. Getting to Know You

**Yep, that really did happen in the last chapter Lol. And yes, we're still in FTL. We'll move back to Storybrooke soon, I promise.**

**Xx**

* * *

"_So you wanna play with magic? Boy you know what you're falling for..."-Katy Perry_

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

Neither one of them could explain it; sparks had flown, _literally_. The moment his lips touched hers, there was a surge of energy, but it wasn't physical. It was that all too familiar pull of magic; _did Robin know magic_? Regina thought to herself. No, of course not, she was just imagining things. There was no way that she was literally feeling magic; it'd just been too long since she's been kissed she told herself. The kiss was electrifying, in every way possible. She could feel the tingle in her lips as shock-waves of magic began coursing throughout her body. She closed her eyes and sighed contently. Kissing was good, **_but kissing Robin_**? _Well_, that was something that couldn't be put into words.

It were as if she were floating on a cloud. In reality, she found herself pulling him closer to her, his chest pressing against her own as her fingers ran through his hair. She could feel his hands moving, wrapping around her waist. The feel of his hands on her body was sensational. She could feel the magic intensifying with each touch, with each breath they took. It was Regina who pulled away first, breathless as Robin pulled back, staring into her eyes.

"Regina, I'm so sorry I-"

"Shh" she said, bracing herself against the wall, her eyes still closed

"I didn't mean to offend you" Robin said, causing Regina to laugh

"_Offend me_? Robin, I kissed you back; that kiss certainly wasn't..._offensive_" She said with a smile

"It definitely wasn't; it was-"

"Magical" Regina said

"In every way" Robin said

"This is going to sound odd but, _did you feel anything_?"

"I felt something; I don't know what it was but-"

"It was definitely something" Regina said as

"Do you think we kissed because of the prophecy?"

"No; I kissed you, because I wanted to"

"So what does this mean? Are we-"

"One thing I learned about love early on is that love, **_true love_** is the most _powerful_ form of magic you can **_ever_** have"

"So you think we have true love?" Robin asked

"...I think there's something there, something powerful"

"So, what do we do?"

"I don't know"Regina said quietly, a breeze flowing throughout the kingdom, causing her hair to flow around her face ever so softly

"What do _you_ want Regina?"

"Robin, as much as that kiss was...it was a really great kiss. I just, I don't know if I'm ready for-"

"Then I shall wait; I may steal for a living, but I am a noble man. I shall respect whatever you decide to do" Robin said earnestly, causing her to smile softly, reaching out to caress his cheek before leaning in softly to give him a kiss.

"Goodnight Robin" Regina said softly as she turned around and went inside, climbing into bed next to Roland. Robin was behind her, glancing over at Roland, who had instantly curled into Regina's side as soon as she had gotten into bed.

"Sweet dreams my boy" Robin whispered to his son, carefully leaning in to kiss the boy's curly mop of hair before leaning in further, planting an endearing kiss on Regina's forehead

"You as well, your majesty" Robin said quietly before carefully making his way out of the room.

That night, all Regina could think of, was Robin's lips upon her own.

xx

Morning came rather quickly, in the form of Roland reaching out to poke her nose.

"Hi" the boy said quietly as Regina's eyes fluttered open, smiling at the sight of Roland

"Hi; did you sleep good?" she asked as he scooted into her arms, which she happily wrapped around his tiny body

"Mmhm" he mumbled into her top

"No more bad dreams?" she asked, smiling as Roland shook his head in response

"Good; are you hungry?"

"Still sleepy"

"Okay, well we can lie here until you're fully awake. How's that sound?"

"'Mkay" Roland mumbled

And that was how they had remained for the next half hour, until Snow gently knocked on the door.

"Come in" Regina called out, smiling as the princess entered the room.

"Regina, this is a surprise; you're usually up in the mornings" Snow said just a Roland popped his head from underneath the covers, startling the princess just a bit

"Oh. I didn't know you he-"

"Regina 'tected me from the Witch and the flying monkeys" Roland stated as Snow glanced over at her step mother

"Translation: he had a nightmare and refused to sleep anywhere else but here" Regina chuckled as Snow nodded with a smile.

"So Regina protected you, huh Roland?"

"Uh huh; because she loves me, right R'Gina?"

"That's right Roland" Regina said softly, pressing a kiss to the boy's head as Snow looked at her in surprise

"Snow, have you seen Tinkerbell?"

"Just a few moments ago, why?"

"Someone looking for a fairy" The blonde woman said as she entered the room, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Roland in Regina's bed

"_What's this_?" Tink asked

"_Apparently_, Roland had a nightmare and refused to sleep anywhere else but in Regina's room" Snow explained as she and Tink exchanged knowing looks

"I'm sorry to interrupt ladies but, I really need to see...ah, you're both up. Good, you two should get dressed" Robin said to Roland and Regina, who was suddenly confused

"Get dressed, why should I-"

"_Because_, there's a surprise involved if you do" Robin said, grinning as he saw the wary look on Regina's face

"I don't _do_ surprises" she muttered as Snow nodded

"It's true Robin; Regina _hates _surprises"

"_Nonsense_, everyone loves surprises; besides, I'm pretty sure she'll like this surprise" Robin said with a smile as Roland crawled towards him

"Hello my boy! Did you sleep well?" Robin asked, tickling the boy until he squealed with delight, nearly red in the face

"Yes! Yes! Regina took care of me" Roland said, turning to give the woman a smile

"He was really okay last night?"

"Yes, he was fine, slept for the rest of the night" Regina informed Robin as Tink and Snow looked on

"Well then, I'll take Roland while you get dressed for our surprise"

"_I told you_, I don't-"

"_Please Regina_?" Roland begged; and this was how Robin knew he had her; she couldn't resist Roland

"Fine, but I'm _only_ doing this for you Roland" Regina said as the boy gave her a grin, eagerly leaving the room with his father who looked back at the Queen

"Oh, and I would advise you not to wear any Evil Queen attire" Robin said, closing the door behind him before Regina could respond.

xx

"_So you and Robin_" Snow said with a smile

"No" Regina said with an eye roll

"_And you weren't going to tell me_?" Tink said taking a seat on the bed

"Because there was nothing to tell; now will you two leave?"

"It's cute, you, Robin and Roland; you all look like a little-"

"Don't say the F word" Snow warned the fairy

"_The F Word_? **_Ohhh_**!"

"_Will you two leave_!" Regina growled, still in bed

"Oh, we will _definitely_ leave you to get ready..._for your date_!" Snow said, whispering the last part before making her way out of the room as quickly as possible, leaving Regina alone with Tink

"_Don't you have some place to be_?"

"Why don't you just admit it" Tink said

"_Admit what_?"

"That something happened between you and Robin on last night" she said, causing Regina's heart to stop. _How had she known_?

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"_Regina_..." Tink said knowingly, causing the other woman to sigh heavily

"Okay so, something _may have happened_"

"Something _may_ have happened? Regina, I could see the two of you glowing from the balcony" Tink said, causing Regina's eyes to widen in surprise

"_How did you_-"

"I was out talking with Blue and I saw it; _we both did_"

"Oh my God so now everyone knows?" Regina muttered, turning away from the fairy

"_Relax_; no one else saw besides Blue, I explained the prophecy to her"

"_You did **what**!_?"

"_Don't worry_, Blue won't tell a soul, _I swear_" Tink said holding up her hands in defense

"This is the _last_ thing I wanted; I'm not supposed to-"

"_Love him?_"

"_I don't** love him**_!"

"But you definitely feel something for him, _right_?" Tink pressed, needing to know

"...Maybe"

"_Regina come on_! This is your third chance second chance at finding love! _Don't ruin it again, _or else there won't be another chance" Tink warned, causing Regina to sigh

"I don't love him..._but I do love Roland_. What if Roland was-"

"It was clear Regina; the man with the Lion Tattoo"

"What if Robin was supposed to lead me to Roland?"

"That doesn't make any sense and you know it" Tink said

"I don't love Robin; I can't love him, not now"

"_Can't or won't_?" Tink said

"It's not that simple Tink; I'm the _Evil Queen_...right now, my heart only has room to love Roland, and that's because he sees me as Regina"

"_And so does Robin_" Tink said, causing Regina to snort

"Right; he sees me just like _everybody_ else does"

"You're missing one key element here Regina"

"_And what's that_?"

"Robin doesn't know the Evil Queen; he's never met her. It's one thing to **_know_** someone versus _knowing **of**_ someone. Robin **_knows_** Regina, he knows_ of_ the Queen."

"...What's your point?" Regina deadpanned

"_My point is_, you decide how Robin gets to know: The Evil Queen, or Regina"

* * *

"Do you think she'll come papa?" Roland asked as he and Robin stood at the front entrance of Rumpelstiltskin's palace.

"Roland, look" Robin said, pointing towards the grand staircase where Regina was coming down

"_Regina_! **_You came you came_**!" Roland said rushing towards her as she instantly scooped him up into her arms.

"_Did you think I **wouldn't** come_?" Regina asked with a grin as she descended the stairs

"You don't like surprises" Roland said

"But I _do_ like you" she said as she stood in front of Roland

"You followed my instructions" Robin said, nodding

"I haven't worn any Evil Queen outfits in over 28 years...it wasn't hard for me to not to" she said, dressed in an outfit somewhat similar to what she wore while in Neverland

"Not very Evil Queen like, but still very regal" he said, opening the door to the castle

xx

"_We're going horseback riding_?" Regina asked, staring at the horses in confusion

"Not quite; though we'll need horses for where we're going"

"_Is it even safe,_ with the witch's-"

"It's safe" Robin assured her as they walked towards the horses

"She's pretty isn't she Roland?" Regina said, petting the horse with ease

"I'm quite impressed"

"I'm just petting the horse" Regina said with an eye roll

"You seem like such a natural"

"I rode horses as a child, and when I got older"

"Were you any good?" Robin asked, getting his answer as Regina gracefully mounted the horse-without a saddle

"_Wow Regina_! You got on the horse _all_ by yourself!"Roland cheered, causing her to smile

"_Would you like me to teach you how to ride Roland_?"

"**_Can she papa_**?"

"I don't see why not" Robin said, lifting the boy onto the horse.

xx

"_The **first** thing you have to learn_, is that horses are _very_ sensitive; that means they can tell what you're feeling. You _always_ want to be friendly with the horses" Regina explained, her heart pounding as Robin also got onto the horse, sitting behind her.

Regina started them off in a slow trot, allowing Roland to guide the reigns, giving him tiny pointers here and there. Robin was right, they were only a few hundred yards from Rumple's castle when they stopped.

"It's an open field" Regina stated

"_Ah_, but there's a lake and a few trees as well"

"That's not what I meant" Regina said with an eye roll

"I felt that you needed an adventure" Robin said

"_You call this_-"

"No, I call you teaching Roland how to ride, a picnic by the lake and archery lessons -"

"Wait..._Archery lessons_? You're teaching Roland how-"

"No, I'm teaching you"

"Bows and Arrows aren't exactly my thing"

"You should learn; plus, I think you'll enjoy it" Robin said

"_Why are you doing this_?" Regina asked with a sigh

"You've been _nothing_ but kind to my son, and you saved his life, twice. Every debt must be repaid" Robin said, bowing his head a little.

* * *

The day turned out to be quite exciting; Regina had Roland riding like a pro in no time. She watched with pride as the boy mastered making the horse trot around the field.

"He looks happy up there on the horse" Robin observed from his spot underneath the tree with Regina

"Riding _is_ comforting" Regina said, taking a bite of the apple she had conjured

"_Who taught you how to ride_?" Robin asked

"My father; he bought me my first horse when I was 7, _against my mother's wishes of course_"

"I'd heard that the Queen rode but-"

"_Can we **not** talk about her_?" Regina said suddenly

"_Excuse me_?"

"_The Evil Queen, can we **not** talk about her_?"

"So, who _should_ we talk about then?"

"Me, Regina" she said turning to face him

"Okay, tell me about Regina" Robin said with a smile

xx

The sound of their laughter filled the hallway of the palace later that day as they returned, garnering attention

"_Regina_! What happened? You're all wet" Snow said, a look of confusion as her step mother smiled

"It was part of Robin's surprise" She said

"His surprise included getting you wet?"

"Impromptu swimming lesson for Roland"

"_And_ horseback riding"

"_And Regina learned to shoot an arrow_!" The small boy exclaimed, causing Charming to frown

"_You taught **The Evil Queen**_-"

"_Could you please, **not** address me as that_?"

"_As Queen_?"

"As the _Evil_ Queen; that's not who I am anymore" Regina said, her voice filled with great dignity

"So, what should we call you then, if you're not-"

"I'm still the Queen...just not the _Evil Queen_" She said

"How about we just call you, _Regina_" Snow said with a smile, which the Queen returned

"Regina's just fine" she said, scooping Roland up into her arms, carrying him upstairs, the sound of his giggling echoing through the palace

xx

"I _do_ believe that Robin Hood Regina and are an item" Neal said with a laugh

"_I don't think I've ever seen Regina so_-"

"_Happy_?" Snow said, finishing Charming's sentence

"Yeah; and it's all thanks to Robin" Neal said, giving the outlaw a pat on the back

"I haven't done anything; it was all Roland" Robin said, holding up his hands defensively

"Though I'm sure you had something to do with that smile" Snow said knowingly

"..._So you taught Regina to shoot a bow and an arrow_?"Charming said, still not able to get over that part

"_She's quite good actually_" Robin nodded, still quite impressed with the Queen himself.

* * *

"_**Robin, this is silly**" Regina said, shaking her head as Robin handed her the bow and arrow_

"_**Nonsense**; every woman should learn how to shoot" Robin insisted as Roland looked on from his comfortable spot underneath the large oak tree nearby_

"_**So you taught Roland's mother to shoot then**?" Regina asked_

"_**Heaven's no**! She was much too...how can I say it..."_

"_**Too much of a girl to learn**?" Regina said with a smirk, causing Robin to grin_

"_You could say that"_

"_So what makes me different then?"_

"_Well, for you to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow would be like an added bonus. You'd be adding to your ways to kill a person" Robin said as Regina's smile faded_

"_I don't plan on killing anyone else" She said with a sigh_

"_**Not even the Wicked Witch**?"_

"_...Now **her**, I could strangle" Regina said, causing Robin to grin_

"_**What**?"_

"_You're quite, **breathtaking** when you're angry" he stated_

"_**I thought you said I was breathtaking when I smiled**?"_

"_You are; but there's something about the way you look when you get angry..."_

"_**You find that attractive**?"_

"_I do; I hope I don't sound-"_

"_**No**! It's, fine; I've just...I've never had **anyone** find me attractive"_

"_**Nonsense**!"_

"_At least, not in this kind of way"_

"_Well now you do" Robin said _

_xx_

"_The first thing you want to do, is relax your posture" Robin instructed as __as he moved behind Regina, causing her to__ laugh_

"_What's so funny?"_

"_Relaxing my posture is going to be **quite** difficult, seeing as **'stand up straight'**,and **' don't slouch'** have practically been drilled into me since I was old enough to walk" Regina said, trying to slouch, though slouching too much, causing Robin to chuckle a bit_

"_**No, not like that**; you look **too** relaxed" Robin said, placing his hands on her hips to help her adjust her posture. The feel of his hands on her body sent a jolt of electricity all over her. _

"_There is good; **now**, you want to make sure that while your stance is relaxed, that you still have good form. Make sure everything is aligned" he instructed, showing her just how high up her elbow should be and how to adjust the vision in her eyes._

"_**Perfect**; you look like a natural" Robin praised, his arms still wrapped around her_

"_Take these three fingers around the bow. **Now**, carefully, **very gently**, pull back and release" Robin said, jumping in surprise as the bow was released, sailing through the air, one of them hitting the target they had set up with the other hitting a few meters below._

"_**Regina, you did it**!" Robin said with a laugh as Regina laughed, turning her head to face Robin._

"_Yeah, I did!" She laughed as he pulled her into a hug, swinging her around as she laughed._

"_You are by far the most **breathtaking** woman I have ever seen" Robin said settling her on the ground, though her hands remained wrapped around his neck._

"_**And you**, you make me **very** happy; this is crazy, I shouldn't-"_

"_**Love me**?" _

"_No; I shouldn't, but I think...I think I do" she said quietly as Robin stared at her_

"_Regina, I-"_

"_I know that it's so sudden but-"_

"_No it's not sudden Regina; sometimes, things just...**happen**" Robin said_

"_It's scary, falling, falling in, love again but-"_

"_As is for me; I haven't loved anyone since Roland's mother"_

"_It's been a lot longer since I lost Daniel"_

"_Tell me about him" Robin said suddenly_

"_**What**?"_

"_Your Daniel, **tell me about him**" Robin said, watching Regina's demeanor change_

"_**Well,** I was about 18 when my mother killed him. She, **ripped out his heart**, **all thanks to Snow**"_

"_Snow, you mean-"_

"_Yes, **that** Snow; I saved her from being killed by her runaway horse. As a result, her father wanted to marry me and, my mother said yes. We, **Daniel and I**, were going to run away together, but Snow caught us. I tried to explain to her that I loved Daniel, and not Leopold. Snow promised to keep my secret but, my mother tricked her into telling. I married the king and...well, I'm pretty sure you know the rest" Regina said with a sigh _

"_**You know what I think Regina**?"_

"_What?"_

"_That maybe, maybe fate was wrong"_

"_**What**?"_

"_I **do** believe that we were destined to be together but, not quite like the prophecy said"_

"_**What do you mean**?"_

"_**Maybe**, it wasn't until now that we were destined to find one another; **maybe**, I'm supposed to help you find your happiness now; **me and a certain little boy**" Robin said gesturing over to Roland, who was now running towards them._

"_**Regina! Catch me!**" Roland said, jumping into Regina's arms as she caught him, laughing happily as she swung him around, his giggle filling her heart with a love she had never experienced before._

"_**When's the last time you smiled like this**, or **felt like this even**?" Robin asked with a laugh as they continued to walk_

"_I haven't felt this light and carefree in...**god, years**!" Regina laughed_

"_Maybe this is our destiny, not some silly prophecy" Robin said_

"_**But it was the prophecy that brought us together**"Regina pointed out_

"_**Ah**, but it is we who determine our destiny" Robin said with a grin, glancing over at the lake_

"_Robin...**no**" Regina said shaking her head, knowing exactly what he had planned_

"_**Oh come on Regina**, what's a little water?" Robin said innocently, still walking towards her_

"_**Robin**! **Robin of Locksley**, don't you **dare**-" she started, but her sentence was cut short when he pushed her into the water, causing quite the splash_

_xx_

"_**Regina**!" Roland cried out, fearful that something had happened to her. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the queen come to the surface, her hair soaking wet and stuck to her face. Neither Robin nor Roland could say anything for a few moments. It was Robin who broached the silence, laughing hysterically as Regina glared at him._

"_**It's not funny daddy**!" Roland said frowning at his father as Regina made her way out of the lake, silent but still glaring _

"_Regina, **oh come on I'm sorry**" Robin said_

"_**Regina**, I said I'm-" Robin began, though he was suddenly pushed into the lake, a large splash accompanying him. _

_Once again, there was silence, though it was Roland who broached it with a giggle, which soon turned into laughter, which Regina joined in on. It wasn't any kind of laughter, it was side splitting to the point where Regina and Roland were on the ground in tears. Robin however, emerged from the lake, dripping wet and glaring. The sight of the wet thief only seemed to spur on Regina and Roland's laughter. The melody of their laughter was like music to his ears. It was so light, so fun and so infectious that he could do nothing but join in._

xx

Zelena watched as her sister laughed happily as she chased after Roland in the privacy of her bedroom. She also watched as Robin entered, joining in on the fun. Shaking her head, she threw down the magic mirror in frustration.

"She's weak! Look at her! She's playing, she's happy...she's in love" Zelena said in disgust, her eyes suddenly lighting up.

"That's it! That's the key to destroying her, those two...you're actually useful for something" She said with an evil grin.

_Chapter 20 to follow..._

* * *

**Who else died after seeing that kiss?! It was so perfect and...the feels!**


	20. Light in the face of Darkness

**I think it's time to go back to Storybrooke now. 4 chapters in FTL is enough. The newest episode killed me. The preview killed me even more ah, I can't wait for the next episode. Any who, chapter 20 awaits us. **

**Xx**

* * *

**Storybrooke**

"Where did you find him?" Zelena asked, glaring down at the boy

"He was in the middle of the street, passed out in the rain" Snow told her

"He looks dry now"

"I took him home, fed him, gave him some of Henry's old clothes to wear"

"_Is this true_?" Zelena asked Roland

"Yes" Roland said quietly, hanging his head in shame

"Get inside" Zelena said harshly, shoving the boy through the door.

"_Aren't you going to say thank you_?" Snow said

"..._Thank you_" Zelena said, rolling her eyes before heading inside, slamming the door in disgust.

xx

Once inside, Roland _knew_ what was about to happen. Looking around quickly, he made his way towards his favorite hiding spot, though Zelena was quicker than he was.

"And just what the _hell_ made you run off like that?" She snarled, gripping his arm rather tightly

"_I didn't wanna go to jail_!" He cried, mostly from the pain in his arm and out of fear of what horrible punishment Zelena had in store for him

"_Did you see Regina_?" Zelena asked

"No!"

"**_Are you sure_**?"

"_I swear_!" Roland cried, large crocodile tears running down his cheeks

"Ugh, stop your sniveling! You had _better_, not be lying to me" Zelena said, snapping her fingers as one of her minions appeared

"Take him to the hole" She said as Roland's eyes widened in fear

"_No_! _No please_! _I'll be good, I promise_!" Roland cried

"Your _please's,_ seem to have lost their touch...take him to the hole, and _don't_ feed him. Snow fed him so, that should hold him off for a few days; _all he gets is water_"

"_No_! Please, Zelena!" Roland cried as he was taken away

"But I didn't do it, _I swear_!" He yelled, still kicking and screaming

"Oh, but I _know_ you didn't; you didn't _do_ anything" Zelena said softly, running a hand over his cheek

"But, but why-"

"This isn't about you, this is about Regina" she said with a grin

"Why?"

"Because _Regina_, stole my life _and now_, **_now she has to pay_**. Take him to the hole" she said; young Roland's screams continued to echo throughout the empty house.

* * *

"So it's Rumple" Snow said quietly

"It _has_ to be him; he's the only one powerful enough to transform into something else"

"But that's not possible; Rumpelstiltskin's dead. He died when he killed Pan"

"Maybe he didn't" Regina said

"_What do you mean_?"

"If there's _one_ person who knows Rumple better than me, it's Belle" Regina said

"Do you _really_ think she'd be willing to help us? I mean, she is cursed after all" Snow said

"_She **may** be cursed_, but if I know one thing about Belle, it's that she'd do anything to get Rumple back" Regina said

"_You **really** think she'll help us_?"

"**_Me_**? No, but _you_..._you she'll help_. _You she trusts_, **_me_**..."

"Regina..."

"No! Snow I did, _terrible_ things to her. I locked her away in my castle, put her in an asylum for 28 years. _I turned her into **Lacy** for God's sakes_! She doesn't trust me. She'll probably _never_ trust me"

"So me, you want _me_ to talk to her?"

"_It's the **only** way_" Regina said

The next morning, Snow made her way to Gold's shop. Sighing heavily, she hoped that Regina's plan would work. Pushing the door open, she found the librarian at the counter, a smile on her face.

"_Snow! What are you doing here_?" Belle said, coming from around the counter to give the princess a hug.

"Belle, how are you?"

"I'm good, I miss Rumple like crazy but, I'll manage"

"..._What if Rumple was still alive_?" Snow said suddenly

"Snow, you _can't_ be-"

"We didn't see his dagger Belle"

"_Snow_..."

"We _both_ know that the only way to kill the dark one is-"

"To become him" Belle said with a sigh, shaking her head

"Is, _is something wrong Belle_?"

"Zelena said you might come here, that you've been spending lots of time with Regina"

"_What does that have to do with anything_?"

"**_Oh come on Snow_**! The whole town knows she's crazy"

"What?"

"She's been talking about a boy named Henry, claiming he was her son, and something about you and Charming's daughter-"

"Emma" Snow said softly

"I know how hard it's been for you but, you guys have Ava, Matthew, Henry and the new baby. Oh, have you all decided on a name yet?"

"Uh, no; Belle, Regina being '_crazy_' aside, do you think there's a chance that Rumple could still be alive?"

"_I've **thought** about it but_, there's no proof"

"That could be a good thing"

"You're always so optimistic Snow, it's what I love about you" Belle said, giving the woman a pat on the shoulder

"It's what makes me who I am" Snow said

"Tell me something, how are you able to remain so civil with Regina? _I mean_, with everything she's done to you, you're still-"

"Regina's done some, _horrible_ things in her past but, I _know_ there's still good in her"

"Even after she's the reason your first born daughter is gone?"

"...Yes, despite that, I _know_ there's good in Regina. She saved this town from Pan, and from Greg and Tamara. I think _that_ counts for something,_ don't you_?"

"I don't know; _I mean_, she locked me in a tower in a castle, cast a curse-"

"That Rumple wanted her to cast" Snow pointed out

"_Still_, she could've said no"

"Regina wasn't thinking"

"Clearly...**_why are you defending her Snow_**? If **_anyone_** should have an out against Regina, it's you!" Belle said

"Belle..." Snow said, noticing that something was, off with the librarian

"You know what, you're right?"

"_Come again_?"

"_I **said**, _you're right; I should be angry at Regina, I _should_ be pissed off at her, _and I am_. She took away Emma, _she took away our happy endings_, she ripped us, away from our home. _She should be destroyed_" Snow said before walking out of the shop.

xx

"_There's something going on with her_" Zelena said, walking out towards the front of the shop after having listened to Snow's conversation with Belle, who now stood frozen in place.

"Now why would _Snow_ be asking about Rumpelstiltskin, unless..._she knows_" Zelena said, her eyes widening.

"But, _that's not possible_; there's _no way_ she should know unless...Regina's found away to get back her memories. No, I **_won't_** stand for it" Zelena said angrily before turning to Belle.

"You're useful for something" she said, running a finger underneath the woman's chin before plunging her heart back into her chest, snapping her out of her trance.

"_Oh_, Zelena, _what can I do for you_?" Belle said, completely unaware of what had just happened

"The next time Snow comes into the shop inquiring about Rumpelstiltskin, you let me know" Zelena said before walking away

"Okay but, _why would Snow ask about Rumple_?"

"...Because Regina's convinced her that he's alive" She said, letting the statement hang in the air.

* * *

"So, _what happened_?"

"That wasn't Belle I talked to" Snow said as she entered Regina's house

"_What do you mean_?"

"She was more focused on why wasn't I angry at you for everything you've done. She said something about you being crazy"

"_What_?"

"_Apparently_, you've been telling people about Henry" Snow said, watching how her step mother's countenance changed at the mention of Henry's name

"Regina I-"

"It's..._fine Snow_" Regina told her, a pensive look on her face

"Regina, we'll find a way to fix this I promise"

"...How was Roland when you took him back to Zelena's?"

"He didn't wanna go"

"I hated that we had to send him back...do you think he told her I was with him?"

"No, he said he'd _never_ tell on you" Snow said with a smile, making Regina smile

"When this is over, I wanna find his parents; they have to be in this town somewhere" Regina said, taking a sip of her tea, though her face turned an ashen color as soon as the liquid hit her lips

"_Regina_?" Snow asked, cringing as she watched her step mother throw up into the sink, quickly turning on the water afterward.

"_Are you **sure** you're alright Regina_?" Snow asked as Regina wiped her mouth

"I think, I think I might be coming down with something"

"_Or you could be pregnant_" Snow said, causing Regina's eyes to widen

"That's..._impossible_ Snow. That would mean I would've had to have had sex recently which, I'm pretty sure hasn't happened"

"Maybe it was in that missing year" Snow shrugged

"Hence the words **_missing year_**. If it's been a year that make me almost as pregnant as you are right about now"

"_Not necessarily_; I overheard some people talking and they said it hasn't been that long since Pan was defeated"

"What's not long?"

"A couple of weeks maybe?"

"But, it's been over a week since we woke up"

"Hence the term **_since we woke up_**. What if we've been here longer than just a week Regina?"

"Okay, you're officially insane" Regina laughed

"What if it were true?"

"There's no way I could-"

"You know, I was in the drugstore the other day and I saw these _tests_..."

"No" Regina said firmly shaking her head

"_Oh come on_!"

"That would require me going down to the drug store and buying a test"

"If you are, we could always pin the baby on Daniel"

"No, we are _not_ playing with Daniel's memory like that"

"Regina!"

"I'm _not_ pregnant; end of discussion. _Now_, let's figure out how we're going to figure out who the hell cursed us" Regina said changing the subject, letting Snow know that there was no room for further discussion.

* * *

Later that night, once she was certain that Christine was asleep, Regina quietly crept into her bathroom. She had discovered pregnancy tests underneath the sink the other day, which was quite shocking. Sighing heavily, she reached under the cabinet and pulled out a test. The directions were quite simple: you pee on the stick, wait 2 to 5 minutes and boom, either you're pregnant or you aren't. The problem with Regina, was that she was too scared to pee.

"_This is **fucking** ridiculous_" she muttered to herself as she sat on the toilet, her thigh shaking slightly as she thought of the possibility of her being pregnant. _Clearly it wouldn't be Daniel's baby_. So that would mean that this possible baby would've had to have been conceived sometime while they were in the Enchanted Forest. But the bigger question was, _whose baby was Regina possibly carrying_. The nervousness of the thought of being pregnant was enough to loosen up Regina's bladder, allowing her to pee. She took her time washing her hands, waiting to pass the time. When she thought that enough time had passed, she shut off the water, drying off her hands.

"The moment of truth; now Snow can stop pestering me about being..." she began, but her words were caught in her throat. Because staring down at her was a positive pregnancy test. Though it wasn't just any kind of test, it was a test that could determine how far along you were and Regina, Regina was between 6 and 8 weeks pregnant. There was no way this baby was Daniel's. The bigger problem, was that she wasn't sure whose baby she was carrying.

xx

He _hated_ the hole; it was the absolute _worst_ punishment he could ever receive. The hole was literally that,_ a hole_. He hit the ground with a soft thud, looking up just in time to see the guards laughing as they closed the door over the hole, leaving him in darkness. He had been in the hole so many times that his eyes automatically adjusted to being in darkness. He found his favorite spot in a nearby corner where he curled up in a ball and cried. As much as he hated the hole, he would never, _ever_ tell on Regina. She was his friend, and he liked her, a lot. Since his first encounter with her, he would dream of her in his sleep, wishing that she was his mother. He hadn't been in the hole very long when he heard a commotion coming from on top of the hole. Soon, there was a flash of light, and someone else was tossed into the hole as well.

"Who, who's there?" Roland called out, an echo bouncing off of the walls.

"_Where am I_?" The voice called back; it was that of a child, a boy, though he was much older than Roland

"What's your name?" Roland asked

"..._My name's Henry_"

_Chapter 21 to follow..._

* * *

**Yes, yes I know, I know! The ULTIMATE shockers! I couldn't help myself. Tonight's new episode inspired my muse. Yes, it's the real Henry and yes, he's in Storybrooke wayyy before he ends up there on the show. You'll see why in the coming chapters. I would post more but, my eyelids are drooping and I'm about to pass out so, chapter21 sometime some I'm gonna go to bed.**

**Xx**


	21. On The Run Part I

**New York-6 to 8 weeks ago**

The last thing she remembered before crossing the town line was Regina's promise to give her new memories. It would be as though she never gave Henry up; and Regina kept her word. That was her life now, a good life with Henry and no memories of Storybrooke. It was hard, being 18 and a single mom but, Emma Swan was, if anything resilient. Today was no different, she was headed back to the small but nice apartment she and Henry shared. No matter how busy her job as a bail bonds woman made her, she _always_ made sure to pick up Henry from school-just like today.

"Got any homework kid?" Emma asked Henry, who walked silently beside her

"Helloo, Earth to Henry!" Emma said, snapping the boy out of his thoughts

"Huh? Oh, sorry, yeah I do" he said as they reached their apartment, only to find Walsh standing outside the door. Walsh was the guy who had sold them their furniture, delivering it a whole 3 weeks ahead of schedule.

"Walsh, everything alright?" Emma asked, a look of concern on her face

"Everything's fine, just got a few papers I needed you to sign"

"_That you had to bring to my house_?"

"I'm going out of town for a while and, I need you to sign them" Walsh said as Emma opened the door to her apartment.

"Excuse the place, we're still in the middle of getting settled in" Emma explained

"It's no problem Emma" Walsh said as Henry went towards the fridge

"Hey Walsh, you wanna soda?" Henry asked

"Uh, yeah sure why don't I give you a hand" he said walking towards the kitchen.

xx

It only took a split second for Emma to beckon for Henry's attention. It was in that moment that Walsh pulled out a vile, pouring a few drops of the mysterious liquid into Emma and Henry's drinks before walking towards them.

"Here you go" Walsh said, handing the drinks to the two of them, watching as they regained their memories of their time in Storybrooke.

"_What the hell _**_Y_****_ou_**, _you did this_" Emma said pointing to Walsh who simply grinned

"Just doing my job" he said just as a woman dressed in all Black, but with Green skin appeared before them

"_Hello, **Emma**_"

"_Who the hell are you_?"

"Allow me to introduce myself; the name's Zelena" she said eying Henry

"_And you must be **Henry**_..." she said her eyes filled with something Emma couldn't quite recognize

"How do you know my name?" Henry asked

"Simple, **_I know your mother_**..._well_, **_your adopted one anyways_**"

"_How do you know Regina_?" Emma asked

"Simple: _I'm her sister_" Zelena said

"That's not possible, my mom doesn't have a sister"Henry said

"_Why of **course** she does_; our mother, _Cora_, had me first, but she gave me up and kept Regina and raised her to be queen **_but now?_** _now_ I have the key weapons that are going to help me destroy her _and **you Henry**_, well _you're **exactly** what I need_" Zelena said with a smile as Emma stood

"If you lay one hand on him _I swear to God_ I-" Emma began, though Zelena silenced her by throwing her into a wall

"_Mom_!"

"Relax Henry, she'll be fine; Walsh here will keep her company" Zelena said before disappearing away in a could of Green smoke with Henry.

When Emma came to, she had no memory of Henry and no memory of ever going to Storybrooke. She had given Henry up for adoption and was happily living in New York, engaged to Walsh.

* * *

**Storybrooke:**

He had no idea how he'd ended up here in this, dark hole but it was the last place he wanted to be. He only realized that he wasn't alone by the sounds of crying in a corner nearby.

"Who, who's there?" he could tell by the small voice that there was another child down here too, though much younger than he was

"_Where am I_?" Henry asked

"What's your name?"

"My name's Henry, what's yours?"

"Roland"

"Where are we Roland?"

"In the hole" the boy said, stating the obvious

"_Okay but_, **_why are we in the hole_**?" Henry asked, desperately wanting to know

"I'm here because Zelena doesn't like Regina and-"

"Wait, **_Regina_**? You mean the mayor of this town?"

"Uh huh; how do you know her?"

"Regina's my mom" Henry stated

"That's not true"

"It is true!"

"I don't believe you" Roland said, causing Henry to sigh.

He needed proof, then he remembered: his mom had given he and Emma fake memories. _What if Zelena had done the same thing_? But how could he prove it? Then it hit him: _he had the heart of the truest believer_. If **_anyone_** could make someone believe, it was him. He had done it with Emma and now, he'd just have to do it again with Roland.

"Roland, you have to listen to me; Zelena is evil and she's trying to hurt my, _I mean_, Regina. She put everyone under a spell that made them forget things, that's why nobody remembers me." Henry explained as Roland grew quiet

"..._A spell_?"

"Yeah"

"...Zelena said she wanted to hurt Regina" Roland said

"_She did_? **_Did she say why_**?" Henry asked

"No...she just said she needed me to help her do that"

"But why?"

"I don't know"

"Well we need to figure out why. How long does Zelena keep you down here Roland?"

"Depends on how bad I am, sometimes days"

"We'll find a way out of here, I promise" Henry said

xx

The next few days went by painfully slow, neither boy being given anything more than water. Finally, on the fourth day, the hole was opened, Zelena standing over it, a smile on her face.

"_Well, well, well_, both of Regina's boys have found one another, **_how sweet is that_**?"she said with a grin

"You won't get away with this, my mom is gonna figure out what you've done, _both of them_"

"_Oh Henry. **Henry, Henry, Henry**_; Emma doesn't even know you exist and Regina well, I can handle The Evil Queen, especially when I have things she loves the most in my possession" Zelena said with a laugh

"What do you want with her?" Henry asked

"Why, it's simple: I'm going to take back the life I never had, and I'm going to use _you two,_ to do it" She said, snapping her fingers, causing the guards to come and pull both boys up from the hole. Once both boys were above ground, she looked at them and smiled evilly as she began to encircle both of them.

"_Which little boy's heart do I want to rip out first_?" Zelena said with a grin, running a hand along each of their chests, stopping when she got to Henry.

"Hmmm...you hold the true key to Regina's heart so, I think I'll start by taking your heart first" Zelena said plunging her hand into Henry's chest. Though when she went to pull out his heart, she couldn't.

"What, what's happening?" she shouted in frustration

"You can't get it" Henry said with a smile, suddenly grateful that Regina had enchanted his heart so that no one else could rip it out. As she let out another frustrated growl, Henry pushed Zelena out of the way, making her think that he was going to run. Instead, this diversion tactic allowed Roland to get away, leaving the house, heading for the one place he knew: Regina's house. He had to find her and tell her the truth before it was too late.

"_Run Roland, Run!_" Henry shouted as one of Zelena's men grabbed him

"**_You idiot_**! Throw him back into the hole and find the boy and when you do, I want Henry here to see me rip out his heart, **_and crush it_**" Zelena said, smiling with delight as Henry was thrown back into the hole.

"**_And this time_**, he gets _nothing_, no food, no water..._I want him to suffer_" Zelena said as darkness once again covered Henry, who could only hope that Roland found his mom in time.

_Chapter 22 to follow..._

* * *

**Eh, I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter but, we're gonna go back to FTL in the next chapter and stay there for a while again. I somewhat ****have **** of an idea of how this story will end but nothing is etched in stone yet so, things could change. I'm still trying to compose myself after last night's episode. Oh, and the preview for next week. Not even Glenda the good witch can stop Zelena?! Oh NOOO!**

**Xx**


	22. Have I Told You I Loved You (Lately)

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

In the days that followed Roland's nightmare, the atmosphere in the castle was still tense, but everyone tried to go on living their lives. It made no sense to be fearful all of the time when no one knew exactly what the Wicked Witch's plans were. Regina, Blue, Tink and the other fairies cast a protection spell over Rumpelstiltskin's castle as a just in case. By day, the plans to rebuild the kingdom commenced along with Regina and Belle spending tedious hours in Rumple's library searching for clues that would help them defeat the wicked witch. By night, everyone tried to unwind from the stresses of the day, which meant that this was when Regina spent the most time with Roland, _and with Robin_.

Though everyone was talking about whether or not they were a couple, Robin Hood and Regina never came clean about it, but they didn't deny it either. It was nothing to see the two strolling around the castle grounds late in the evening or to hear sounds of laughter coming from the Queen's bed chambers late at night. However, the time did come when there were more serious matters at hand. It was revealed that there was a possibility that Rumpelstiltskin could in fact be alive. It was a no brainer that both Belle and Neal would be going on this journey to find out if the rumors were true.

Who else went with them was quite difficult. Snow and Charming were absolutely out of the question, seeing as Snow had recently announced her pregnancy to everyone else. Charming stayed behind with Snow for that reason alone. That left Regina, Robin Tink, and Blue. It made sense for Regina to go and Blue to stay, seeing as Regina was the most powerful and Blue the second most powerful, _being a fairy and all_. However, now having Roland in her life made things all the more difficult.

"I'll go" Robin said quietly after much debating about the subject.

"Robin I-"

"We both know what happened the last time Roland wasn't with either both or one of us" Robin said, reminding her of the time when the boy came in contact with the witch, causing her to sigh.

"_I know, I know_ I just-"

"Tink is going to come with us; she promises to keep us safe" Robin said, relieving Regina's fear of something happening to him.

"Just, be careful" she whispered that morning as the group prepared to leave

"I will; you'll take care of my boy, won't you?" Robin said

"_Haven't I been doing that this entire time_?" Regina teased as Robin bent down to bid Roland a fair well.

"Alright my boy, I want you to be good for Regina while I'm gone, understood?"

"Yes Papa"

"Alright, and know how much I love you" Robin said, pulling his son into a hug, though his eyes remained on Regina when he mentioned "how much he loved him"

xx

It wasn't a secret that Robin was in love with Regina, though he was willing to wait until she felt 100 percent comfortable with saying it in return. Though it killed him, not hearing her say it, or conveying to her how he felt. But he was a man of his word, and was determined to wait until she was ready, comfortable enough to tell him that she loved him too; even though he already knew that she did. Days soon turned longer, 5 days now. It had been 5 whole days since the group had been gone, 5 whole days since she had looked Robin in the eyes. 5 sleepless nights, worrying if he would ever come back or if she would have to tell Roland that his papa was no longer alive.

The thing that aggravated her the most, was that she had given Robin the half of the magic mirror (and a long passionate kiss, _while no one was looking of course_) she had given Roland when they first set off for Rumpelstiltskin's castle. Still, not once did he think to use it, to let her know that they were okay. This, did not set well with The Evil Queen. On the 5th day, Snow found Regina in the middle of the grounds, a set of bows and arrows nearby as she had target practice with a nearby tree.

"_Do you mind if I ask what your target is_?" Snow questioned as she walked closer to the queen

"**_Robin Hood's head is my target_**" Regina said, letting yet another arrow go as it hit the tree, not bothering to look back at the princess

"You've gotten pretty good at this" Snow nodded, quite impressed with Regina's aim

"Well, the thief _did_ teach me" she muttered, letting the arrow hit the tree once again

"_Where's Roland_?"

"Napping; _is there something you want Snow_?"

"It's been 5 days" she said quietly, just as another arrow made its way towards the tree

"Exactly. _5 days_" Regina said through gritted teeth.

_Draw back, release, hit. _That was her concentration for the moment

"Are you worried?"

_Draw back, release, hit._

"I have his son, **_of course I'm worried_**" Regina said, keeping her eyes on the target

_Draw back, release, hit._

"_That's **not** what I meant Regina_" Snow said with a sigh

_Draw back, release, hit._

"He has a mirror, _the stupid mirror I enchanted_! I gave it to him and _still no word_!" Regina shouted angrily

_Draw back, release, hit. Draw back, release, hit. Draw back, release, hit. _Three in a row

"You miss him"

"Maybe"

_Draw back, release, hit._

"Regina...you,_ you love him, **don't you**_?"

"_I do **not** love him_!"

_Draw back, release, hit. Draw back, release, hit. Draw back, release, hit. Draw back, release, hit. _Four in a row

"It's okay to admit it Regina; you're scared that by it being 5 days that something's happened to him" Snow said quietly, this time, Regina's form was off.

_Draw back, release...miss_

"What if he's dead?" she asked, her voice void of any emotion

_Draw back, release...miss_

"He isn't" Snow said

"_And **how do you know that**_?"

"Regina, turn around" Snow said, a smile on her face; and sure enough, there he was, Robin of Locksley walking towards her, with that stupid grin on his face.

xx

"Your highness" Robin said, bowing slightly towards the princess

"You should talk to her; she was worried about you" Snow warned before walking away, leaving Robin alone with Regina, a bow, and _lots_ of arrows.

"_Regina_..." Robin said cautiously, though his eyes were on the impressive amount of arrows that riddled the tree like bullets.

"5 days" Regina said, her voice low, intimidating. Today, he was certain, he would meet his maker, and The Evil Queen

"_Regina_..."

"**_5 days_**!" She said, raising her voice, her eyes filled with fury

"I'm sorry" Robin said calmly

"Sorry? _You're sorry_? Not a word for _5 days_ and all I get is an **_'I'm sorry'_**?" she said, her voice growing louder by the minute, drawing the attention of some of the other residents of the palace

"Regina, I said I was sor-" Robin began, but his words were met with a forceful slap from the queen, the sound echoing lightly, causing Robin to hold his now reddened cheek as Regina marched away

"_And just where the **bloody hell** do you think** you're** going_?" Robin shouted, following behind her, now infuriated

"_To check on **Roland**_" she snapped not bothering to look back

"So you're just smack me and then-" Robin began, reaching out to grab her, only to have her whirl around and kiss him, quite passionately at that, causing quite a few heads to turn. The kiss caught him by surprise as well, though it only took seconds for him to respond. 5 days, _5 long days_ of not seeing her, 5 long days of _not_ being in her presence. 5 days of _not_ hearing her laughter mixed with Roland's as they played together, 5 days of _not_ staring into her _beautiful brown eyes_ that seemed to have a _million_ stories to tell. 5 days of not being able to do this, to kiss her lips ever so softly, ever so passionately. She was the first to pull away, resting her forehead against his, their breathing heavy.

"**_You idiot_**; _I was **so** worried about you._ You could've died and _all I could think about_, was how I might never get to tell him how much I-"

"Shhh; I love you too, Regina" Robin said softly, soft enough where only she could hear. These words caused the queen's heart to leap for joy as she kissed him again. The sound of her laughter filling his ears was enough to make Robin's heart swell as he lifted her off of the ground, spinning her in a circle as her head fell back and she laughed. Nothing was a glorious as hearing Regina laugh after 5 days of wondering if he would ever hear that sound again.

* * *

In the days that followed, Robin and Regina had become undeniably close, showing small public displays of affection, such as holding hands, an endearing kiss here and there, but nothing too major. _She was still_, after all, _the Queen_; though the _Evil_ part hadn't been used in quite some time, making her feel pretty good about herself. On this particular day, she, Snow, and Charming were outside of the castle, doing as they had planned, helping to rebuild the kingdom. She was slowly learning that being around the Charming's wasn't so bad after all. She also felt so guilty, spending so many years hating Snow; for now she realized just what a great human being she was. As they returned to the castle, the sounds of their laughter echoed through the halls. However, when they were met with silence, she knew something was wrong. There was no Roland running up to her, no Robin following behind with that endearing smile of his. No, something was off, and in Regina's mind it only spelled trouble.

"_Snow_, thank _goodness_ you're back!" Blue said as she approached the trio

"Blue, what happened?"

"The Wicked Witch, she sent some of her flying Monkeys to-"

"_That's, **not possible**_; we protected this place with magic" Regina said as her heart began to beat faster and faster

"_Apparently_, she was able to break through the barrier" Blue said, her eyes never meeting Regina's

"What happened?" Charming asked

"It was a direct attack..."

"_On who_?" Charming demanded as the Blue fairy's eyes finally met Regina's, causing the queen to gasp

"No"

"I'm afraid so" Blue said as Regina pushed past them, her eyes frantically searching the crowd for any sign of Robin or Roland

"_Robin? Roland?_" She called out, though she knew that by the somber look in everyone else's eyes that the response was not good.

"_**Where are they**? Are they_-"

"No, she took them" Blue said, watching as Regina grew deathly silent

xx

"Regina?" Snow called out in a futile attempt; for the queen had disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke

"You don't think she-"

"No; she didn't just go after them. She needed to be alone, to adjust to the news"

"...You mean to cry" Charming said

"Yeah; she loves him, she loves them both" Snow said quietly before turning to everyone else

"Regina is not to be disturbed; I want search parties sent out immediately. We're going to find Robin _and Roland_" Snow said softly, though her tone was quite serious. Everyone of course followed the princess' orders. Robin's Merry Men were the first to head up the search parties in order to find their beloved leader and his son.

"Do you think the queen will be alright?" Little John asked; for the most part, John had been silent with his thoughts on Robin's relationship with Regina. However, when he saw the subtle changes in the former Evil Queen, he could do nothing but support his friend in being happy.

"I'm gonna go talk to her; we just need to find Robin and Roland, for her sake"

"She loves them, doesn't she?"

"_Very much so_; I haven't seen Regina this happy in...not since we first met" Snow said quietly as she and Charming headed up the grand staircase

"_So Regina and Robin Hood_?" Charming said, his eyebrow quirked in confusion

"_Yes Charming_, Regina is in love with Robin Hood. What, you didn't think the former Evil Queen was capable of finding happiness?"

"**_The Former Evil Queen_**? _That's what we're calling her now_?"

"She's earned the right to have Evil removed from her name" Snow said as they reached the door where Tink stood trying to convince Regina to come out.

xx

"_Regina_! _Regina we'll find them, **I promise**_!" Tink called out, getting no answer

"Let me try" Snow said quietly

"Have at it; I came up here a few seconds after she did. She's quiet, and we both know-"

"A quiet Regina is never a good thing" Snow said finishing the fairy's sentence

"_Regina_? Regina, it's me, Snow. Regina, open the door please. We will find them; we _always_ find the people that we love. _Regina I **know** it's hard but_-"

"_Hard_? **_You think it's hard?!_**" Regina said, pushing the door open, her eyes red, nearly swollen shut. Her usually impeccable make up and hair now smudged and undone

"_You don't get **hard** Snow_! _You **always** have hope_ **_but me_**? _I don't have that_, **_I can't hope_**! _She has them_, The Wicked Witch has _Robin and Roland and_..."

"_And you love them_"

"**_Yes_**! _**There**, I said it:_ **_I love Robin Hood_**! **_I love him_ **_and, and_ _**I never** got a chance to tell him because I was **too scared**!_ I didn't wanna let him in, _I didn't wanna let **them** in,_ because _I knew_that if I did, that she would use that against me and _look what happened_? **_She's won_**; _**first I lose Henry** and then I lose **the only people in this entire kingdom** who have made life bearable without **my son**_. _I'm sorry Snow_ but, _**I have no hope**_; _I'm done, **she wins**_" Regina said before slamming the door behind her. Once she was alone, she slid down the wall, sobs racking her body. She thought of how scared Roland must be, or if he were still alive. She thought of how she had vowed to protect him from the Witch. _Finally,_ she thought of Robin and uttered the one thing she wished she would have said earlier,

"_I love you Robin of Locksley_"

_Chapter 23 to follow..._

* * *

**So, I sat in my car on my phone between classes and pre planned out the rest of this story. Now, if all goes according to plan, this story will contain 47 chapters, plus possibly 3 epilogues, bringing it to a total of 50 chapters. 50 chapters wouldn't take me very long to do. I posted this story just over a month ago and I'm nearly at 25 chapters. Writing the other half of this story wouldn't take me very long. The thing that pushes me to keep going, are reviews. I _really_ enjoy them, they make me happy. I love hearing about how much you guys liked certain things or, how cute Regina and Roland are or, how much you hate Christine or, how amazing Robin and Regina are. That stuff pushes me to write more, to expand my creativity. So basically, reviews help me finish this story and gets you 2 sometimes 3 chapter updates in a day. So please, please, PLEASE review. Thank You.**

**Xx**


	23. And If Loving You Has a Price

_"And if loving you has a price, I will pay my life for you"-Beyonce'  
_

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

_2 days._ It had been 2 days since the attack, 2 days since Robin Hood and his young son Roland had gone missing, taken by The Wicked Witch. It had been 2 days since anyone had seen or heard from Regina. They knew that she was still in the castle, but wasn't seeing anyone. It was rumored that the Queen had been utterly devastated by the news. She was even rumored to have cried, confessing that she was in love with the thief. No one however, knew just how true the rumors were. Only those closest to Regina, Snow, Charming, Tinkerbell, knew the truth. They knew just how hard losing Robin and Roland was for her. She still hadn't gotten over having to give up Henry in order to save the town. Now, she was forced to deal with yet another detrimental loss. After 2 days, Snow had had enough; desperate to snap Regina out of it, she dared enter the queen's bed chamber.

"Regina?" Snow called out, only to find her step mother on the balcony, her castle could be seen in the far distance.

"I know you said you didn't want to be bothered but-"

"He smelled like forest, they both did" Regina said quietly

"I'm sorry?"

"Robin and Roland; they had this, forest like smell. At first, I pretended that I hated the way he smelled but...it's one of the things I love about them, that outdoorsy type smell" she said as she turned to face Snow, holding a tattered blanket in her hands

"Is that Roland's?"

"Yeah; I haven't slept without it in 2 days. He brought it here when he had his first nightmare" she said, smiling softly

"We will find them Regina; you made a promise to Roland"

"_I **always** find the people I love_" she sighed

"That's right; you did the same thing with Henry and you'll do it again with Robin and Roland"

"But I found Henry and lost him again in less than a day"

"Regina, we're _gonna_ find a way to defeat the Wicked Witch and we're _gonna_ find Henry and we're going to find Robin and Roland, and your boys will _finally_ met" Snow said with a smile, taking the Queen's hands into her own.

"You've always been so, _optimistic_" Regina said softly

"It's what keeps me going; if I didn't have hope, I'd be-"

"Just as lost as I am"

"_You're **not** lost Regina_, you're just scared of what this means. I know you, and you feel things with your soul. Tell me something, that day in the forest when you ripped out your own heart, you still felt the pain of losing Henry, didn't you?"

"I did; but it didn't hurt as much"

"You were still able to feel; Regina, that shows that you have a special kind of love. _You feel with your entire being_. That's what makes you such a remarkable person. It's when you're the most passionate that things happen for you"

"If that's the case, you should be dead" Regina said jokingly

"You did succeed Regina; you promised to take away my happy ending, _and you did_. You said you would ruin my life, _and you did_. You said you would kill me _and,_ for a brief moment, _you did_, with the sleeping curse. So, in so many ways, your passion is what fuels you. _Use that passion_, that love you have for Robin, Roland and Henry to go and defeat the Wicked Witch" Snow said, causing Regina to look at her in surprise

"_Wow_. No wonder people listen to you; you _sure as hell_ know how to give pep talks" Regina said, causing both she and Snow to laugh a little

"It's good to see you smile again; you deserve to smile"

"You are right, I _am_ passionate, but I don't think I can defeat her by being optimistic"

"How are you going to...Regina, _no_"

"It's time Snow; _The Evil Queen was bound to surface again at **some** point_" Regina said with a sigh

"Regina-"

"_It's the **only** way I can defeat her and get them back_. I can't do it as Regina, I _have_ to do this as The Evil Queen" She said as Snow sighed

"As much as I hate saying this, you're right; you _have_ to pull her out but Regina-"

"I won't let the darkness over take me; I have too much to loose" she told Snow, reaching out to squeeze her hand before walking away

"Where are you going?"

"I need to regroup, I'll be in Rumpelstiltskin's library for a while. I'll let you know when I leave"

"Regina you can't just-"

"_No_, it has to be _me_ who does this"

"Regina-"

"I go and I go alone; this fight is between that toad and me. She took the man that I love and his son..._this is personal_" Regina said, her Evil Queen tone already present. At this point, Snow knew there was no use in trying to stop her

"_Just_..._**be careful**, Regina_" she called out.

xx

"So, I heard the Queen had made a return" Tinkerbell said later that day, finding Regina in the library, her look much more, Evil Queen like

"Desperate times called for Desperate measures" Regina said with a shrug, still flipping through one of Rumple's old spell books

"What changed your mind?"

"_That green toad took something that belongs to me; and_ **_nobody_**, steals from The Evil Queen and gets away with it"

"**_The Evil Queen_**? I thought you were done with her?"

"I was, am but..._right now, I **need** The Evil Queen_. I can't defeat the witch without her"

"Just, be careful Regina"

"Now you sound like Snow"

"I tend to worry about my friends" Tink said, causing the queen to turn and face her

"_Friend_?"

"What, did you think I wasn't your friend? I'm invested in your happiness Regina, of course we're friends"

"It's nice to know"Regina said with a smile as Tink turned to leave

"Regina?"

"Yes"

"I know you're going to defeat the witch and bring them back just-"

"**_I know, I know_**, _don't let the darkness take over_" she said with a dismissive wave of the hand as Tink shook her head.

* * *

She didn't bother with goodbyes, for goodbyes just..._weren't the Queen's style_; this didn't really surprise Snow and Tink as much as it did the others.

"Why wouldn't she-"

"Because Regina didn't go, _The Evil Queen did_" Snow informed Charming

"**_The Evil Queen_**? I thought-"

"_No_, **_for this kind of mission_**, Regina needed to be The Evil Queen"

"So, she can just...pick and choose when to be Evil then?" Grumpy asked

"No, this isn't something Regina, the Regina we've gotten to know, this isn't something she could handle"

"She needed that Evil Queen exterior in order to get back Robin and Roland" Charming said,

"_Exactly_; she'll be fine" Snow said

"You don't seem so sure of that" Charming said

"She hasn't been The Evil Queen in a long time; _she has **too much to lose**_ by letting that darkness over take her again"

"I hope you're right Snow" Charming said before walking away

"_I hope so too_" The Princess replied, rubbing a hand over her ever growing stomach before following.

xx

She had magically transported herself to her castle, knowing that's where the witch, _Zelena_ was. She had never referred to her as Zelena, only as The Wicked Witch or, _that toad_, though toad seemed to fit quite nicely. Sighing heavily, Regina squared her shoulders, digging deep within herself to find that spark of darkness, trying to be careful of Tink and Snow's warnings of not letting the darkness over take her.

"Alright, _show yourself you green toad_" she called out, waiting for Zelena to emerge, except she was met with silence, a sign that never meant anything good. She closed her eyes, listening closely; she could hear it: the faint sound of wings flapping. The flying monkeys. She was sending them first as a distraction, but Regina was ready. Sure enough, several flying monkeys appeared at once, flying around her, swiping at her from time to time. Flying monkeys didn't scare her, she had faced Peter Pan, The Dark One, the wraith, had been electrocuted and defeated her mother within two years time. There wasn't much that scared Regina. Shaking her head, Regina effortlessly destroyed the monkeys with fireballs.

"You're gonna have to do **_much better than that_** if you plan on scaring me" Regina said, smiling as the familiar sound of heels clicked against the floor, followed by a round of applause.

_"Well, well, well_, if it isn't...oh,**_ it's the Evil Queen_**. _How nice of her to join us_. I was starting to think you wouldn't show, but the little _brat_ kept telling me you would" Zelena said, eyeing Regina to see a change in her expression; she got none. As queen, she had learned to bottle up or mask her emotions. On the outside, she pretended to be un-phased by Zelena's comment about Roland. On the inside however, her heart was pounding incredibly fast.

"_Where are they_?" Regina growled, wanting nothing more than to slaughter the bitch by the second

"_Oh_? Where are my manners?" Zelena said, snapping her fingers, causing Roland to appear

"_Regina_!" Roland cried happily, trying to rush towards her, though Zelena had grabbed him, a dagger magically appearing in her hand, aimed right at the boy's heart

"_Not so fast_" Zelena said, keeping her eyes on Regina

"Let him go, **_or else_**"

"_Or else **what**_?"

"**_Or else_**, _I'll be forced to kill you_"

"Oh, I don't think so Regina; _because you see_, **_one wrong move on my part_** and little Roland here, **_dies_**" Zelena said, aiming the knife at his neck; it was only then that Regina noticed something familiar about the dagger, the name: Rumpelstiltskin. She had Rumple's dagger, which meant that The Dark One wasn't far behind. He had to be, seeing as his name was still inscribed on the dagger.

"What do you want?" Regina asked as Zelena laughed

"It's simple, I want what was stolen from me Regina"

"_What the_**_ hell _**_are you talking about_**_?_** I didn't **_steal_**-"

"Yes you did; _the minute you were born_, my life was stolen from me"

"If this is about your crazy theory that we're related then-"

"**_We are_**! _There's a letter_, that Rumpelstiltskin wrote to our mother, telling her that he'd found her first born daughter, saying that she was more powerful than she was and-"

"_Stunning in every way_" Regina said, her face altering for the first time; it was true, Zelena was her sister. That was the _only_ way she could know about that note

"_What does any of **this**, have to do with me_?"

"It's easy, _**you got the life I was supposed to have**. **You** were trained by the dark one,** you** cast the curse, **you got to be queen**_!" Zelena shouted, as Regina laughed

"**_That's what this is about_**? _You think my life was easy because **she kept me**_? **Get over yourself**; _it wasn't as** glamorous** as you'd like to believe_" Regina said with a shake of her head

"_**How is it**, that you could be so **blind** to **everything** you have_?!"

"**_Everything_**!? _**The man I love died**_, _I had to watch our mother **rip **_**_out_**_** his heart** and crush it **right in front of me**_! **_I was forced to marry the father of the girl who had told my mother about Daniel!_ **_I cast a curse that was supposed to be **my happy ending** but was only to help Rumpelstiltskin **find his son**_! I was the one everyone wanted to kill after the curse was broken, **_my son_**, _called me a monster_! _I had to **share my son** with the daughter of **Snow White and Prince Charming**_! I was almost electrocuted to death, **_nearly had my soul sucked out by a wraith_**, _Snow White cursed our mother's heart_ and watched as I put it back inside her body, as it**_ killed her_**, I had to go to **_Neverland_** and fight Peter Pan **_only to have to give up my son_ _and be forced to come back here_**, _where I'm **nothing more than the Evil Queen**_. _**You think my life was fabulous**! Ha! **You're insane**_!"

"**_You still don't get it Regina_**, you've _still managed_ to mend things with the people here, you've found love again, **_and your son is still out there_**. Y_ou're ungrateful Regina; **and that**, is why I have to take everything from you_"

"_And how the **hell** do you plan on doing that_?"

"It's quite simple really: _time travel_" Zelena said, causing Regina to laugh

"**_Time travel_**? _You're more **delusional** than I thought_; to do that you need-"

"A Heart, Courage, a Brain **_and_**...the **_one thing_** that everyone else has been missing"

"_And **what's** that_?"

"**_The purest form of sacrifice_**" Zelena said as it hit her: she needed Snow and Charming's baby

"**_You see Regina_**, I have this **_all planned out_**, _it's been set in motion for years_. I just needed to wait for the right time. _Now_, the time has come and I'm going to get _exactly what I want_"

"If you think you're going to get away with this then you're-"

"_Oh, but I will_; _because **none of you**_ will remember this year. I'm using one of your old tricks sis, I'm going to send everyone back to Storybrooke, **_with your curse of course_**. I'm going to rip away this last year of your lives and then wait until that baby's born _and **then**,_ I'm going to get what I want" Zelena said with a grin, snapping her fingers once more, making Robin appear before her

"Regina" Robin said quietly as Zelena watched, waited for her sister's reaction to seeing the thief.

"_How about I make you a deal_" Regina said, keeping her eyes on Zelena

"A deal? What kind of deal?"

"I'll give you **_exactly what you want_**, the power, the crown you can have it all"

"And what's the price? Because Rumpelstiltskin always said-"

"**_All magic comes with a price_**; the price is that you let Robin and Roland go"

"**_That's it_**? You'll give me **_everything I want_**, as long as I let Robin Hood and his son go?" Zelena asked, staring at Regina in disbelief

"Yes"

"**_Wow_**, our mother was right, **_falling in love does make you weak_**. I expected more of a fight from you, The Evil Queen. _Oh Regina, **Regina, Regina, Regina**_...I_ can't take that deal_; it'd be like taking candy from a baby. **_What I can do_**, is make you another deal. I'll let you walk away from me, with Robin Hood and Roland"

"_What's your price_?"

"**_Why it's easy_**: _Your life_ along with the lives of Robin Hood and Roland...**_for your heart_**" Zelena said causing Regina to frown. **_Why the hell would Zelena need her heart_**? And then it hit her: she needed Regina's heart in order for her curse to work.

"So Regina, what's it gonna be? **_Your heart, or their lives_**"Zelena said, letting Roland go, but stopping him from running towards Regina.

"Hmmm, _ya know_, **_the more I think about it_**, _the more I just_, **_want to see you suffer_**. _You're so unappreciative Regina_. **_You were the Queen_**, **_you had the power_**, but you were blinded by your biggest weakness: **_love_**. _Just like now_, you won't even give me a proper fight; you'd rather be **_good and selfless_**, instead of fighting for what you want. _Maybe_, you need something to bring out that anger in you, because I know it's there; _I saw how you **easily destroyed**_ the lives of those who lived in The Enchanted Forest in the past. _So_, **_how could I make The Evil Queen return_**? _Oh, **I know**_! _I'll do **exactly what our mother did**_, prove to you that **_love is weakness_**!" Zelena said, reaching her hand into Robin's chest, ripping his heart out.

"_No_!" Regina screamed, not knowing that Zelena was enjoying this

"_Well come on Regina_, _**stop me**_!" She growled, squeezing her hand around Robin's heart, laughing with delight as he fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"_I said **let him go**_!" Regina shouted, using her powers to toss Zelena across the room, Robin's heart falling from her hands.

xx

With a wave of her hands, Roland was released as he ran towards his father. She stood over Zelena, her eyes filled with hatred as she used her magic to strangle the woman, loving the darkness that coursed through her veins. She could see Zelena beginning to lose consciousness, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Roland, staring at her in fear. It was _then_ that she knew that the Evil Queen was no more. Sighing heavily, she released her hold on Zelena, rushing towards Robin and Roland. Just as she was about to place Robin's heart back into his chest, she felt a strong pull of magic consume her, sending her flying through the air.

"_You should've killed me when you had the chance_; _**now**_, I'm gonna make you suffer, **_by forcing you to watch me kill Robin_**" Zelena said, marching towards the thief who was holding his son protectively.

"**_Out of the way you little brat_**" Zelena said, trapping Roland against a wall as he cried out in fear. Regina tried running towards Robin, but Zelena had stopped her by putting up a shield. She held Robin's still beating heart in her hands, her eyes on Regina the entire time, squeezing the heart with much force, as Robin double over, groaning in pain.

"_Robin! **No**!_"

"**_It's your choice Regina_**, _save them_, give me your heart or **_else they both die_**" Zelena said, getting a thrill at seeing tears fall down Regina's face as she cried out for Robin

"**_What's it gonna be Regina_**? _Give me **one good reason** why I shouldn't kill him, **and the little brat**_" Zelena questioned

"_**I'll do it! I'll do it**! Just_, **_don't kill them_**!" Regina relented, plunging her hand into her chest, pulling out her own battered but still otherwise beating heart. Though she paused for a moment, not willing to give in so easily

"_Well, **hand it over**_!" Zelena shouted

"No"

"_No_?"

"You put Robin's heart back into his chest and let he and Roland go!"

"**_Or what_**?"

"Or else..." she began before wrapping her hands around her heart, squeezing it, causing Zelena's eyes to widen

"_You idiot_! **_What the hell are you doing_**?"

"Do it _or **I swear to God I'll crush my own heart**_; and you need my heart to get what you want" She said, squeezing her heart again, falling to her knees in pain. Growling in frustration, Zelena marched towards Robin, thrusting the heart back into his chest before undoing her magic that had Roland stuck to the wall as Robin immediately rushed towards his terrified son.

"I let them go, **_now hand over your heart_**!" Zelena said, walking towards Regina, whose eyes were on Robin and Roland, who were safe now and together. She now held the power. If she squeezed her heart any more, she would die, leaving Zelena powerless and the threat to everyone else gone.

"_Sorry Zelena_, **_you loose_**" Regina said with a smile, squeezing her heart once more as Zelena cried out in anger.

"_No! **You fool**_!" Just as she was about to use her magic to take Regina's heart, she felt something sharp hit her in the arm, causing the witch to let out a scream of pain. Whirling around, she realized that Robin Hood had shot her; Regina managed to conjure up his bow and arrows when Zelena wasn't looking.

"_**You're gonna pay for this Regina**! You **will** pay, **all of you will pay**_!" Zelena shouted before disappearing away in a fury, green smoke filling the room.

* * *

Once they were sure she was gone, Robin and Roland rushed to Regina's side.

"_Papa, is she alright_?" Roland asked,

"She will be; Regina's strong" Robin said, watching as the Queen carefully placed her heart back into her chest.

Once he was sure that she was okay, Robin Hood pulled the Queen into his arms, kissing her furiously, passionately.

"_You crazy woman, **what the bloody hell were you thinking**_?!" He shouted, his eyes clouded over with tears

"_I was thinking...**how much I love you**_" Regina said, her voice still weak, though there was a faint smile on her face as Robin shook his head, kissing her once more

"_You risked your life **to tell me how much you loved me**_?"

"Yes; _you're a thief but_...I love you, Robin of Locksley"

"And I love you too Regina, The Evil Queen" He said softly, tears falling down his cheeks as he kissed her once more, only pulling away when he saw Roland staring at them curiously.

"Roland, sweetheart, come here" Regina said, pulling the little boy into her arms. He had to have been completely terrified by the entire ordeal. And he was, the way his little body trembled against Regina's as he cried, his arms tightly holding onto her shirt just as they had when he had his first nightmare.

"Shhh, you're alright, I'm here; you're safe now" Regina said softly, running a hand through his hair, tears falling down her cheeks in relief. Her boys were safe..._for now_.

xx

"I was scared you wouldn't come, like in my dream" Roland whimpered, his head still buried in her chest

"_Shhh_; I made you a promise, didn't I? _I will **always** find you_" Regina said softly as Robin helped her stand

"Are you sure you're able to get us back to the castle?"

"_What other way are we going to get back_?" she asked, still holding on to Roland

"Regina-" Robin began as they were taken away in a cloud of purple smoke.

xx

When he opened his eyes again, they were standing in the hallway of Rumpelstiltskin's castle. They were safe, _for now_. It was Snow who was the first to see them, rushing as quickly as her body would allow her too these days.

"_**Regina**! Thank god you're alright_" she said, pulling her step mother into a hug, followed by Robin, though Roland would respond to no one but Regina. It didn't take long for word to spread throughout the castle that Regina had returned with Robin and Roland. Robin was greeted by his Merry Men as others stopped to congratulate Regina.

"Did you defeat her?" Charming asked, wanting to know if the threat was gone

"No, _but I do know what her plan is_"

"What is it?"

"Well, _she really is my sister_," Regina said as Snow's eyes widened

"_It turns out_, my mother had her first, and gave her up. She had proof...a letter that Rumpelstiltskin wrote to my mother"

"So, _she's after you then_?"

"But what she wants to do affects us all; she plans to back in time, change the past"

"**_Time travel_**? _That's impossible_" Belle began

"It's possible now, because Zelena has the _one ingredient** no one else has had**_" Regina explained

"_And what's that_?" Snow asked, watching as Regina's eyes averted away from hers

"Regina, what ingredient does the Wicked Witch-"

"_Zelena_, her name is Zelena"

"What ingredient does she have that no one else has had?" Snow demanded

"..._A sacrifice of **pure** innocence_" Regina replied quietly as Snow put two and two together, gasping at the realization

"She needs our baby"

"_And_ courage, and a brain **_and_ _a heart_**"

"_A brain, Courage, a heart...**and our baby**_?" Charming said

"Yes; she apparently has Rumpelstiltskin's brain and-"

"_Wait, **she has Rumpelstiltskin's brain**_?" Charming asked

"No, just his dagger" Belle said quietly as everyone turned to face her

"_Wait, **how is Neal still alive**_?" Regina wanted to know

"That's still a mystery" Neal said

"But, that's not possible; if you guys resurrected Rumple the way you said you did then-"

"I should be dead; _why am I not_? I don't know"

"Unless Rumple is _in_ the dagger" Regina said

"_What_?"

"The only way to resurrect Rumple requires giving a life."

"That's not possible; Rumple is still alive and so is Neal" Belle said

"_For now_" Regina said

"_What do you mean **for now**_?"

"What happened when you resurrected him?"

"He appeared, I started to die and then...I didn't" Neal said

"What That doesn't make any sense"Charming said

"..._He allowed Neal to absorb his shadow_" Regina said suddenly

"What?"

"_His shadow_! **_That's how Neal is still alive_**. In order for the Dark One to be resurrected, there is a sacrifice, a life for a life and it can't be undone. Rumple sacrificed his shadow so that Neal could live"

"So what happens if Neal is ever separated from Rumpelstiltskin's shadow?"

"...I die" Neal said quietly

"Can that happen?"

"It can be done; Rumple would have to call for his shadow, _using the dagger_"Regina explained

"So she has Rumpelstiltskin's dagger, _she needs **your** heart_, why does she need-"

"_The most resilient heart_; Regina's heart has been through _so much_ but still she remains strong, she's able to feel things with more than just her heart,_ she feels them with her soul_" Snow explained

"Okay, _so Rumpelstiltskin's** 'brain'**, Regina's heart**, our baby**_ but, you said something about-"

"Courage, she needs your courage Charming"

"And with those 4 ingredients, she can go back and alter time and-"

"It would change everything"

"So, how is she going to do that? We know her plan so-"

"She's going to send us all back to Storybrooke; _every last one of us_. She's going to rip away our time here in the Enchanted Forest, we won't remember anything, making us easy targets. Once she gets my heart and your courage, all she'd have to do is-"

"_Wait for the baby to be born_" Snow said, holding her stomach in fear

"Wait, she's going to use-"

"My curse; the curse I created to send us all to Storybrooke in the first place"

"_**How many damn times** is that curse going to be used and destroyed and then used again_?" Grumpy asked

"...There may be a way out of it, _for good this time_" Regina said

"What is it?" Snow asked

"There are things that Zelena may or may not know about the curse. She said Rumple once tutored her but for some unforeseen reason, he stopped. So there's a possibility that there would be things about the curse that she may not know about, like how the curse can be broken and the fail-safe as well as the ability to alter memories"

"_You can alter memories in the curse_?" Charming asked

"Yes; when I cast the curse, I still had knowledge of everything. When I cast the curse, I was able to leave Jefferson with all of his memories from The Enchanted Forest"

"So you're saying we could still-"Charming began

"It all depends on how much she knows about the curse. I could make a potion that could leave us with partial memories" Regina explained

"_Partial memories_?" Snow asked

"It would be too obvious for us to keep our memories in tact _plus_, **_something tells me_** that she's already working on a plan to counteract whatever we try to do"

"_What makes you think that_?" Charming asked

"Because-"

"It's what you and Rumple would do" Snow said

"_Exactly_; and if I've learned **_anything from Rumpelstiltskin_**, it's to _**always stay one step ahead** of everyone else_" Regina said

"What do we do until then?"

"We live our lives; don't do anything out of the ordinary that could possibly tip her off. We work on our plans in secret; we'll be ready for her the next time she attacks."Regina said sighing heavily

"Regina, are you alright?" Snow asked

"I'm just..._tired_" she said, feeling herself grow faint, apparently Robin could sense it too, seeing as he moved to take a now sleeping Roland from her arms before she collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

When she came too, Tinkerbell was by her side as Blue used her magic to heal her.

"_Trying to crush your own heart? **Are you insane**_!?" Tink said the minute the queen opened her eyes, groaning in the process

"Robin..."

"_Is right over there_" Tink said, pointing to Robin who sat in the corner with a frightened Roland.

"_See_? I told you Regina would be alright" Robin reassured his son, pointing as she opened her eyes

"Regina!" Roland cried, pushing past Blue, trying to climb onto the large bed

"_Need a little help_?" Tink asked with a smile, lifting the boy onto the bed as he immediately moved next to Regina, taking her face into his hands, looking her over.

"Roland, I'm fine, I promise" Regina said, a small smile on her face as Blue finished healing her

"I'd advise you to rest for the next couple of days; no more heroic acts" she said, a small smile on her face as she left

"_You really **are** insane, **you know that right**_?" Tink said as Regina wrapped her arms around Roland, kissing his head

"I'm a bit crazy about the people I love" she said with a smile

"I'm just glad you're alright" Tink said quietly, reaching out to take the queen's hand

"It's good to know I have friends who worry about me" Regina said with a smile

"_Regina, **I do believe** you just called me your friend_" Tink teased, causing the other woman to roll her eyes and shake her head

"You're pushing your luck fairy" Regina said as Tink simply laughed before leaving her alone with Robin and Roland.

xx

The remainder of the evening was rather calm, Roland lying next to her, telling her stories of what happened while they were with Zelena. She was surprised that no real harm had come to either one of her boys. Dinner was served to her in the privacy of her own room. The only time she was alone was when she decided to take a long hot bath, which was much needed after the day she had. What she _wasn't expecting to find_, was Roland _and Robin_ lying in her bed.

"_What's this_?" Regina asked, finding it normal to see Roland in her bed, prepared to go to sleep. It came as quite the surprise to see Robin there as well.

"Roland insisted that I start sleeping here, seeing as you protect him so well from Zelena and her flying monkeys" Robin informed her as she sat at her vanity mirror, brushing out her hair.

"_So_, **_Roland recommended that you sleep in here huh_**?" Regina asked, her eyes locked on Robin's as she brushed her hair

"Yes"

"_You know_, _this is **only**_ going to raise eyebrows; _Robin Hood_, **_sleeping with the queen_**" she said, a smirk dancing in her eyes as Robin chuckled

"_M'lady_, I'm **_pretty sure the rumors began_** after we had returned from our search for Rumpelstiltskin and you kissed me" Robin said with a laugh

"_Imagine what they would say if they knew how much I loved you_" Regina said as she made her way towards the bed

"Yes, I can hear them now _'a Queen and a Thief' _" Robin laughed as Regina crawled into bed, wrapping her arms around Roland, who instantly curled into her side, falling asleep almost immediately.

"They can say whatever it is they want to; doesn't change how much I love you" Regina said softly

"I'm glad to know it doesn't change anything, _because I'm **madly** in love with you Regina_"

"_I'm in love with you too Robin_" she said softly, leaning forward to kiss his lips softly before settling herself underneath the covers. As she slept that night, Roland curled at her side and Robin's arms around her, it was the best sleep she'd had in a long time.

_Chapter 24 to follow..._

* * *

**We're pretty much at the halfway point. Yay! Regina finally said the L word to Robin! I tried to bring out the Evil Queen, but it just didn't work out that way. To me, Regina will always be The Queen, though the Evil part is now more so a part of her sass and what makes her so lovable. She can still use the name to enact fear but to do actual evil? Nah, I think those days are over. I wasn't happy with the explanation of how the heck Neal's still alive but, I think I'll try and explain it better in the chapter that's ALL about Rumple. I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I took me a while to write it; I'm currently under the weather, and it's practically 2 in the morning but, I pushed myself to finish writing this (this doesn't include trying to proof read it, which took nearly an hour to do, making it well past 3 am) and it's almost 11 pages so, I think should get lots of follows and reviews!**

**Xx**


	24. On The Run Part II

"_I don't care if we on the run, baby long as I'm next to you"-Beyonce_

**Storybrooke:**

His mind was focused on one place: _Regina's house_. He_ knew_ he had to get there, _and fast_. _He had to tell Regina about Henry,_ **_and Zelena's plan_**. He couldn't turn around, for he knew if he did, that Zelena's guards would catch him; _and that would be bad_. He still didn't get it: **_why did Zelena want him_**? More importantly, _who was this **Henry** character_? He said that Regina was his mother, but that she or no one else could remember him because Zelena had cast a spell that made them forget. **_Was it true_**? **_He did have dreams of Regina_**, _and a man he couldn't remember, **but felt strangely attached to**_. _What if what Henry said was true_; **_there was something about this boy that made him want to trust him_**. It was still night time, though he could tell by the way the sky got lighter that daylight was coming. He could see it stretching across the horizon. _He **had** to get back there, **he had to get to Regina's**_, _because if he didn't_, there was _**no telling what** Zelena would do to him,** or Henry**._ He didn't know his tiny little feet could carry him so far but, before he knew it, he was standing on Regina's doorstep. He stood on his tip toes, pushing the button that would let Regina know someone was there. He pressed it one time, two times, three times, four..._come on Regina, open up_! Finally, after the fifth ring, he could hear someone stumbling towards the door, flinging it open.

"**_Who the hell_**-"

"_Regina_!" He cried happily, causing the woman to look at him in shock

"_Roland_?"

"_Regina, **you gotta help me**_, Zelena she..."

"_Mom, **who's at the door**_?" A groggy looking Christine asked, still rubbing sleep from her tired eyes. Her heart began to pound faster; if what Roland said was true, she knew the little boy could be in danger. Glancing back at Christine, she mouthed to Roland '_Go hide in the backyard_' before quickly closing the door behind her.

"_Who was it_?"

"Nobody, just...someone playing at the door" Regina said, causing Christine to look at her in confusion.

"_Are you sure_?"

"_If there were someone there, **don't you think I would've let them in**_?"

"Fine, whatever" Christine said, rolling her eyes before heading back up the stairs. Once she was sure the child(or rather Rumple) was gone, she leaned against the door frame sighing in relief. _What a morning **this** was turning out to be_.

xx

After Regina told him to run, he did; he quickly rounded the corner of her house, moving into her backyard. Looking around, he found a large shed; _the perfect place to hide_. He was _sure_ that Regina would find him when she knew it was safe. Opening the door, he searched for some place to hide. He quickly found one, in the most unnoticeable place in the world. Once he was sure that no one could see him, he quietly curled up into a ball, falling fast asleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a world where he and Regina were together, with the strange man he was sure was his father.

She wasn't able to sleep, not with knowing that Roland was still out there somewhere, hiding in her backyard. She could only hope he had found a safe hiding place until she could sneak out and find him, and figure out _what the hell_ he was doing there. Her thoughts of Roland were disturbed by a loud banging at her front door. Confused as to who else could _possibly_ be coming to her house at this hour, Regina carefully made her way to the door, wishing she hadn't the moment she opened the door.

"**_Where is he_**?" Zelena growled, pushing past Regina

"_Zelena_, **_nice to see you too_**, mind telling me what-"

"_**Where** is he_?"

"_Where's who_?"

**_"Don't play dumb with me_**, Roland? _He's run off again_, **_where is he_**?" Zelena said, a few strange looking men following behind her as they tried marching up the stairs of Regina's house.

"**_Where the hell do you think you're going_**?"

"_**I know** he's here_-"

"**_You don't know anything_**! I haven't seen Roland since you _forbid_ me to see him!"

"**_I know he's here_**, _you're lying to me. **Search everywhere**_!" Zelena ordered, causing a fire Regina hadn't felt in a long time to emerge

"**_You take one more step_** _and I'll be forced to disintegrate your little minions_" Regina said, conjuring a fireball to show that she meant business

"_And I'll be forced to tell the people of **Storybrooke**_-"

"_**I don't care what you tell them!** You will** not** march into my house and search it as though I'm some sort of crimina_l!"

"_**Oh but you will be**; aiding and a bedding is against the law my dear_"

"_Did you forget, **this town** isn't exactly founded on...**normal laws**_"

"_**Roland is a criminal**! How would the city council feel knowing that the **mayor of Storybrooke** was hiding the child who killed her husband_?"

"_**Roland did not kill Daniel**! That was an accident **and you know it**! Why the **hell** are you determined to ruin that boy's life?!_" Regina shouted as Zelena's eyes turned darker

"_Oh, it's not **his** life I'm trying to ruin,** it's yours**_" She said lowly as Regina blinked

"_What did you just say_?" Regina asked, catching Zelena off guard

"What?"

"**_My life_**? _What does hurting Roland have to do with me_?"

"_I **never** said_-"

"_Yes you did_, you said you were trying to ruin my life by hurting Roland..._is there something you're not telling me Zelena_?"

"There's nothing to tell; I just...Roland's mother and I we have, _history_"

"_History_? So his mother's alive then?"

"No, she's dead"

"You're not making any sense..._are, are that boy's parents alive Zelena_?"

"...That's for me to know and you to never find out. If you find the little brat, call me; because if you don't..._his suffering will only be made worse_" Zelena snapped before marching out of Regina's house.

* * *

"_Mom_? What was that all about?"

"Nothing; Roland's gone missing and your Aunt thinks I know where he is"

"_Do you_?"

"No, I haven't seen him since she banned me from seeing him" Regina told Christine who didn't seem to be quite convinced

"_What is it with you and that kid_?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What is it with him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're not usually so..._nice_ to other children"

"I'm nice to you aren't I?"

"_That's because I'm **your** kid_"

"I'm pretty sure I'm nice to Snow's children"

"Yeah, because they're _Snow's children_; and everybody around here sucks up to Snow White's children"Christine said with an eye roll

"_What's that supposed to mean?_"

"Nothing; it's just that everyone in this stupid town loves her"

"**_And you don't_**?"

"_Why should I_? She's the reason people think you're the Evil Queen"

"Well, we both know that's not true, don't we?" Regina said with a smile

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean everyone believes it"

"Well, I've done some bad things in my past..."

"_Because Snow White made you_!"

"She didn't make me Christine, I chose to let anger lead me"

"I don't get it! Why do you like people who have done mean things to you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing mom, nothing; I'm gonna get ready for school"Christine said marching up the stairs, leaving Regina completely confused by their entire conversation.

* * *

Once she was sure that Christine was safely off to school, she called the one person she knew she could trust in this situation: _Snow._ Of course, it didn't take the princess long to get over to Regina's-she too, like everyone else, had heard about the infamous showdown between the two sisters that morning, with Zelena trying to convince everyone in town that Regina had taken Roland.

"_Regina_, is everything alright?" Snow called out, letting herself into the house

"_Regina_?" Snow called out, still getting no answer; she was slightly startled to see a rather pale Regina descend down the staircase

"Oh my god, Regina are you al-"

"**_Don't_** come any closer; I might be forced to puke on you" she groaned, making her way to the couch

"Regina-"

"You were right Snow..._I'm pregnant_" Regina whispered, closing her eyes as Snow's widened in shock

"You-"

"But we're not gonna talk about it...we have an even bigger problem"

"What's that?"

"_Roland showed up on my doorstep this morning_"

"But, I thought-"

"I was going to let him in, but the noise woke up Christine as well"

"Well where is he?"

"Hiding"

xx

He didn't know how long he had been there, or how long he had been asleep, but the sound of voices caused him to stir. Opening his eyes, he could see two figures, though he couldn't quite make them out at first, due to him still being half asleep. Once he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he could recognize them easily; Regina and Snow.

"_Are you sure he's in here Regina_?" Snow asked

"**_He has to be_**; there isn't really anywhere else to hide in my-"

"_Regina_?" Roland called out softly, causing both women to stop

"Roland? Roland where are you?"

"Over here" he said, climbing out of his hiding place, rushing towards Regina who instantly scooped him into her arms.

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking the little boy over, a feeling of deja vu washing over her

"Uh huh; but I have to tell you something important" Roland said, his eyes very expressive

"Regina, we can't take him outside, Zelena has people-" Snow began as they magically appeared upstairs in Henry's old bedroom.

"Roland, what is it you needed to tell me?" Regina asked, the little boy sitting in her lap

"..._Henry's here_" Roland said, not knowing the seriousness of what he had just said

xx

"_Did, did you say, **Henry**_?" Regina asked, still confused as to how she hadn't fainted from the news

"Mmhm! Henry's here, Zelena brought him"

"_Roland how, how do you know about, **Henry**_?"

"He was in the hole with me"

"_The hole_?" Snow asked as Roland begin to recount what had happened to him since Snow had returned him to Zelena

"...And Henry said Zelena used magic to make people forget him" Roland said, causing Regina and Snow to gasp

"It's Zelena, Zelena's the one who-"

"Cast the curse..._but why_?" Regina wondered

"Regina, what are we gonna-"

"Roland has to go back" She said

"_**No!** I don't want to_!"

"Roland, _I know you don't want to but_, I need you to deliver a message to Henry for me, can you do that?" Regina said, crouching down on the boy's level

"You do?"

"Yes; _no one else_ can deliver this message but you Roland" Regina said, searching around the room for something, a mirror

"I want you to take this mirror Roland and when you see Henry again, give it to him"

"_A mirror_?" Roland asked, his face scrunched up in confusion

"_It's not just **any** mirror_,_ it's a **magic** mirror_" Regina said with a smile

"_Magic_?"

"Yes, see? Watch..._Roland, can you hear me_?" Regina said into the mirror, smiling as the boy squealed with delight

"_R'Gina! R'Gina I can see you_!" Roland said into the mirror

"_Good_; **_now_**, you have to make sure that no one knows you have this mirror Roland, or else bad things will happen. Can you do that for me?"

"I promise; _Regina_?"

"Yes?"

"What if Zelena-"

"_Zelena won't hurt you Roland_"

"How do you know?"

"Because I'll find you; _I will **always** find you_"

"You promise?" Roland asked, rushing into her arms, a sudden warmth, like a pleasant memory washing over her

"Yes Roland, I promise" Regina said

* * *

He didn't' want to but, he knew that he had to go back. Regina promised to find him, and something told him that she _never_ broke her promises. He didn't know why but, he felt so, _drawn to her_. Like he had known her before; he knew he saw her in his dreams but, the way he felt about her, the little things she said and did, made him feel like he knew her outside of his dreams. After carefully hiding the mirror, Roland was swept away from Regina's house and into the woods. He carefully looked around, trying to see if the coast was clear. What he stumbled upon, was Zelena, talking to that man who pretended to be Christine.

"Did you see him this morning?"

"No, but I know he was there..._someone was at the door_"

"Did you see who?"

"No, she closed it and changed the subject before I could ask"

"He has to be out there somewhere; he knows about Henry and if he tells Regina about Henry-"

"That'll be the end of you" The man said, a faint smirk on his face

"I wouldn't be so cocky dear, _the end of me_, would mean the end of your son, _remember_? Or did you forget that the **_only reason he's still alive_** is because you allowed your shadow to absorb him. Neal could drop dead at any moment if I make you summon your shadow" Zelena warned, this time, the man said nothing. Suddenly, his eyes connected with Zelena's and fear consumed him.

"You! _Where the **hell** have you been_!?" She shouted, marching towards him

"_Hiding from you_!" He said, surprised at the courage in his voice

"Did you see Regina?"

"No"

"You're lying to me; **_did you_**, see Regina?"

"I said no!" Roland yelled, surprising Zelena

"Oh, someone's found their courage I see" she said with a laugh as two guards appeared

"Take him back to the hole" she ordered, though there was a certain change in Roland's demeanor, in his eyes that bothered Zelena. The way he stood up to her, let her know that everything was not going as according to plan.

xx

"He's remembering" Zelena growled

"_Did you **really** think_ you could stop true love from finding one another" Rumpelstiltskin said

"True love-"

"_Exists in many forms_; you thought that it only existed in adults. _You see dearie_, **_that_**, is why I let Regina cast my curse" he said

"I wouldn't be too sure about that...he has to stay alive long enough first in order to be reunited with Regina"

"Did you forget that Miss Swan is still out there somewhere?" Rumple said

"I'm not worried about Emma Swan"

"You should be; _you see with Regina_, she knew how to..._take care of threats_. You, you're too blinded by what you want to see the threats that are right in front of you"

"_And you seriously underestimate me_? Did you forget, the same things you taught Regina, you taught me as well?"

"_Ah, but you see,_ the difference between you and Regina, is that there are things Regina learned that I, _didn't have to teach her_"Rumple said in some what of a sing song voice

"_I will **not** loose_! _I am **going** to go back in time and get the life that I deserved **and then**_, you'll regret ever choosing her over me..._so will my mother_" Zelena growled before poofing away in a cloud of green smoke.

* * *

He hit the ground with a soft thud, the sound of the large door that sealed the hole shut slamming above him, surrounding him with darkness. This time though, he didn't feel so scared. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, hoping that Henry was still there.

"_Henry_?"

"_Roland_? What are you doing back here, did you find-"

"_**I saw her Henry**! I saw Regina_!" the boy whispered quietly, crawling around in the dirt until he bumped up against what he was sure was Henry, clinging to him instantly.

"If you saw her then-"

"She has a plan; she said she's gonna come and get us" Roland told him

"But how?"

"She told me to give you this" Roland said, fishing around on his person until he could find what he was looking for, passing it to Henry

"What is it?"

"It's a magic mirror" Roland said as a small spray of light came through on the other side

"_Henry? Henry can you hear me_?" Regina called out on the other side, Snow standing next to her

"Mom? Is it really you?" Henry asked

"_Yes! Henry, it's me! How did you-_"

"Zelena, she gave a potion to make me remember...mom what's going on?" Henry asked

"_Henry, where's Emma_?" Snow asked

"She's still in New York" Henry said

"_How is she_-"

"Zelena said she needed me-"

"And me!" Roland piped in

"_Why does she need you two_?" Regina wondered

"So she can destroy you..." Henry informed her

_Chapter 25 to follow..._

* * *

**Yes, Yes, Yes I know, I know! The plot continues to thicken. We're at the half way marker of this story. Thank you all so much for your reviews, they're awesome! Nearly 100 reviews? Wow! I'd love to see how many I have by the time This story is finished! Updates may get slow with this, seeing as I have some catching up to do on "Together Someday"-thanks to the help of Vampress2802, but I'll try and update this as often as I can. Since I'm home sick you guys get lucky-double, actually triple update! 3 chapters in one day...**

**I take reviews as forms of gratitude(:**

**Xx**


	25. Choices

"_The choices we make today, determine tomorrow's future"-unknown_

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

She had done it, she had slept with Robin Hood...well, metaphorically. They slept together, without having sex with each other. For Regina this, was much more intimate and still just as gratifying as sleeping with the thief, literally. Having his strong arms wrapped around her, the smells of forest and ginger mingling together was blissful. She felt safe, happy even in his arms. It felt like, dare she say it? A family; she, Robin and little Roland, who was curled into her side like a kitten, clinging to his tattered blanket, thumb in his mouth. It was the perfect thing to wake up to really, Robin's eyes on her as Roland mumbled in an incoherently cute voice.

"Good Morning, your majesty" Robin said quietly, as Regina shook her head

"Robin, we slept together; we're a bit past formal titles" she said with a soft laugh as he leaned forward to kiss her.

"Good Morning then, beautiful and might I say, you're the most breathtaking in the mornings"

"I thought I was breathtaking when I smiled?"

"And when you laugh and I find you very attractive when you're angry but this, this is when I see you the most. When you wake up and you're not Regina or The Queen, you're just a woman whose stolen my heart" he said quietly as her fingers traced over the Lion tattoo"

"And who would've thought a silly tattoo would bring us together?"Regina said softly, leaning forward to kiss Robin again, though this time, Roland sat up, stretching his arms as he yawned, unaware that he had just interrupted a kiss.

"Morning...I'm hungry" he muttered, rubbing sleep from his tired eyes, causing both Regina and Robin to laugh as he crawled into Regina's arms, resting his head against her chest

"You remind me so much of my little boy, Henry" Regina said softly, running a hand along the boy's back

"Do you miss him?" Robin asked

"Every single day" She said sadly as Robin reached out and grabbed her hand, causing the queen to smile

"I think he would've liked you"

"You think so?"

"You're a man who steals from the rich to give to the poor and you shoot people with arrows, of course Henry would've loved you"

"Well then, I'll just have to teach the boy how to properly shoot a bow and arrow when we meet then" Robin said, causing Regina to sigh

"Robin..."

"We'll find him Regina; or he'll find us"

"He doesn't remember me"

"But it won't last forever; we're going back to the land from which he came. Surely something can be done so that you can be reunited with your boy" Robin said as Roland looked up at her

"Regina, where's your son?"

"My son is in a far away realm; he's lost" she said quietly as Roland wrapped his tiny arms around her neck, pecking her cheek

"We'll find him, papa and me" he said, making Regina's heart melt

"You're quite charming, just like your father" she said

"Why thank you; it's my devilish charm that got me into the bed of a queen after all" Robin teased as Roland giggled

"Why you..." Regina began, picking up a pillow, hitting the thief with it. This seemed to send the little boy into a fit of laughter as Robin picked up a pillow, hitting Regina with it also. Soon, there was an all out pillow fight, laughter and shrieking filling the room as feathers were soon strewn about.

xx

When Snow entered the room, she was surprised to find Robin holding Regina as Roland tickled her, a look of sheer delight crossing her face. It took Snow clearing her throat for the laughter to stop, a look of surprise and slight embarrassment showing on Regina's face.

"Oh, don't stop on my account, pillow fights are always fun" Snow said with a smile

"Was there something you needed Snow?" Regina asked, running a hand through her hair, trying to look and sound as, regal as possible

"When you've got a minute, Charming and I'd like a word"

"Sure just, give me a few moments"

"That's fine; we'll be in Rumpelstiltskin's library" Snow said, leaving the room, a smile still on her face. Regina was finding a way to be happy; Henry would be so proud.

Once Snow was gone, Regina turned to face Robin and Roland who had looks of seriousness and amusement written on their faces.

"...I have no words" she said shaking her head as they laughed, Robin pulling her closer to him for a soft kiss

"What kind of business did Snow want?" Robin asked softly, his hands on her waist

"Probably to discuss something about Zelena, and how we can keep you two safe. Because I can't lose you again"

"And you won't because we'll always find each other, won't we Roland?" Robin said, reaching down to pick the little boy up, causing him to giggle

"Yes! We'll always find you Regina!" Roland said with a grin

"You promise?"

"Yes!"

xx

As she made her way down the corridor to the library, she couldn't help but notice the green fairy that walked beside her.

"Is there something you want Tinkerbell?" Regina asked as Tink looked down at her outfit

"Where's your Evil Queen look?"

"Do I have to dress like a psychotic freak all of the damn time?" Regina snapped, dressed in a more modern Storybrooke version of clothes

"Didn't mean to upset you" Tink said quietly as Regina sighed

"I just...the Evil Queen, or at least the Evil part, isn't really a part of who I am anymore and, I wish people would stop trying to associate me with that. It's not who I am anymore and I'm getting rather tired of having to defend myself"

"I know you've changed; because the Regina I knew, wouldn't dare be caught having...what was it Snow said? Oh, yes a pillow fight with Robin Hood and his son" Tink said as a grin appeared on her face, causing the queen to groan

"Who else knows about that?" Regina asked

"No one but me; you know Snow and I have to get all of the details about you" Tink teased, wrapping an arm around the queen

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Oh c'mon Regina, you know I love to tease you! You're so happy now, you should let some of that show!"

"My happiness is only for Robin and Roland"

"But we're friends! Friends let other friends see there happiness!" Tinkerbell called out as Regina reached the library

"Goodbye Tinkerbell" Regina said with a shake of her head and, she flashed the fairy a smile

* * *

"Wow, you're in rather bright spirits this morning" Charming said as Regina entered the room, laughing to herself as she sat down

"What? I'm not allowed to have a good day?" Regina deadpanned

"No I just-"

"Most of your good days involve destroying somebody or, ruining someone's life...no offense" Neal said

"...How about I destroy your life? That would really make my morning?" She threatened

"Oh come on you can't threaten me, we're family!" Neal joked

"You say that word pertaining to me in the same sentence again and I'll be forced to rip your vocal cords out"

"Now there's the Regina we know" Charming joked before calling the meeting to order

It was fairly simple, they needed to be prepared for Zelena's next move. A move of which no one was absolutely sure. They knew that she had only said that they would all pay, assuming she meant with her curse. The concept of how the curse really worked was explained by Regina of course.

"It seems, fairly easy" Charming said

"Oh no; it's far from easy, trust me I was the first to cast it. It requires a lot, time, sacrifice, the heart of the thing you love most..."

"What did you have to give up? I thought the thing you loved most was Daniel" Snow asked

"He was, when he was alive" Regina said quietly

"So whose heart did you have to use?" Charming asked, now curious about the curse and, how Regina was able to cast it.

"...My father's" Regina said quietly, her head bowed as everyone silently stared in shock

"I'm sorry" Snow said suddenly, causing everyone to turn and look at her

"I'm sorry that you had to lose your father like that" Snow said, reaching out to touch the woman's hand

"...Thank You" Regina said just as Zelena made her way into the room, a cloud of green smoke accompanying her.

xx

Almost instantly, everyone was on guard, prepared to take her down in order to protect Snow's baby, though Zelena didn't seem the least bit phased.

"Oh relax; I come in peace" She said rather casually, making her way towards Snow

"Stay away from my wife!" Charming shouted as he drew his sword, ready to strike but was frozen, just like everyone else.

"Oh pipe down! I just, want to get a look at what I'll be collecting soon" Zelena said, making her way towards a frozen, though terrified Snow

"Really Zelena? You can't leave well enough alone, can you?" Regina said, waving a hand into the air, ready to blast her sister in the opposite direction, though she was the one who was thrown into a wall.

"She can be so annoying at times" Zelena said, placing her hands on Snow's small but protruding bump.

"Oh yes...this is exactly what I need; it won't be long now Snow, but don't worry, your baby's safe...for now" Zelena said as Regina stood to her feet, causing the green woman to roll her eyes in annoyance

"I thought I told you to stay out of my way?" Zelena growled, raising a hand to send Regina flying, but her sister was quite fast, poofing herself into a corner where she stood, an arrow ready, though Zelena laughed

"Do you really think an arrow scares me?" She said haughtily

"No, but these should; I tipped them with the most dangerous poison, strong enough to take out even you...now get out of here because I won't hesitate to use it and my arrow, never misses its target" Regina said, aiming the crossbow at her sister

"Fine, I'll let you have your little fun, but this isn't over Regina. Remember, I have the upper hand, because I know what you hold nearest and dearest to your hear; a certain thief and his son. Don't think I won't be tempted to take them again and this time, I won't wait for you to come before I rip their hearts out" Zelena threatened

"Now see, that's where I know you're lying; because if I've learned anything about you, it's that you like an audience. You like to see the looks on your victim's faces as they suffer and, killing Robin and Roland without me present would basically be pointless. You see sis, that's where you and I differ, because when I kill...I don't need an audience" Regina said, allowing the arrow to leave the bow as Zelena disappeared, Roland appearing in her place. Regina quickly stopped the arrow as it came inches from the terrified little boy's face, just as Zelena appeared again, chuckling.

"Now you see Regina, that's where you and I differ, I know that love is weakness and you, well, the love you have for the thief and his son, is gonna be your downfall" Zelena said with a grin before disappearing in a cloud of green smoke.

* * *

Once she was gone, everyone was instantly unfrozen, all of them rushing towards Snow, though Regina rushed toward Roland, scooping him up into her arms, his tiny body shaking against her own as he whined in fear.

"Roland!" Robin shouted, bursting through the doors of the library, everyone's head turning to face him as he breathed a sigh of relief seeing Roland with Regina.

"Is he alright?" Robin asked, taking the boy from Regina's arms, holding him close

"He's fine; a bit shaken up but, he'll be fine, right Roland?" Regina said with a smile, reaching out to tousle the child's hair

"And you, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine...is Snow alright?" Regina asked, turning her attention to her stepdaughter

"I'm fine; is Roland-"

"He's fine" Regina said quickly

"Robin, was anyone else-"

"Everyone else is fine M'lady" Robin said with a head nod in reference to Snow

"Regina, we need to work on those altered memories for when Zelena casts the curse" Charming said

xx

Chaos began to ensue as everyone began to argue over who would be left with partial memories when the curse hit.

"Enough!" Regina shouted, gathering everyone's attention

"Snow and Charming will be given the potion to alter their memories; they need it more than we do, because they have to stay together and have some memory of what's going on, for the sake of that baby"

"Alright so, who else gets some of the potion?" Grumpy asked

"Regina should; she's the most powerful and stands to lose the most" Snow reasoned, though Regina said nothing

"Regina..."

"Taking that potion means, I wouldn't remember Robin or Roland" she said softly, glancing back at the thief and his son

"But, you could make more potion for Roland and I, right?"

"Robin..." Snow sighed

"So you two get to stay together because-"

"She's right, Robin; if you and Roland have any memories of me then-"

"So you want to forget us then?" Robin said, getting upset

"No of course not, but I don't want to lose you either!" Regina said growing angry at his insinuation that she would want to willingly forget them

"So why not just, give it to Roland then?"

"Robin, if Zelena knows that we're together then-" She began but the thief wanted to hear nothing more, leaving the room.

"Robin! Robin wait!" Regina called after him, though he didn't turn around

_Chapter 26 to follow..._

* * *

**Aww! You could sort of call that our first OutlawQueen fight. I know, it was very mellow dramatic but, I couldn't just have Robin willingly be all "Oh yes Regina it's okay for you to take a potion that will cause you not to remember the last year you spent with me and my son" so, yeah it came out like that. Lol. **


	26. Showdown

**I think I've made you all wait long enough for the next chapter...4 days is far too long. I**

**m feeling much better-thanks for all who sent me well wishes in their reviews! This week is gonna be crazy, finals are about to start and then work picks back up and then I'm going to California for 2 weeks in June and then I'll be working again and then...I start another semester of college at the end of August...yeah, I'm about to get pretty busy. Though I do plan on updating this often or at least finishing it before my life get's too crazy. Anywho, I need you guys help. So, based on my preplanning of this story, it should be(if my muse doesn't change, get lazy or get distracted)47 chapters BUT, I've been debating on doing 3 epilogues to round it off to an even 50 BUT, I wanna know what you guys think of that. So sound off about whether you want epilogues or not!**

**Xx**

* * *

**Storybrooke:**

_**This,** was war._

_**Not only did this Zelena bitch kidnap an innocent child**, but she had kidnapped Henry as well._ That did **_not_ **set well with The Evil Queen. **_Who in the hell did this woman think she was_**? No, this bitch was gonna pay, _big time_.

"So she wants to destroy me" Regina asked both boys

"Yeah, but she didn't' say why though. Mom, who is she?" Henry asked.

_Mom_, now there was a word she wasn't sure she'd ever hear again; _and man_, was it the most glorious sound she'd ever heard in her life.

"Henry" she said, though she was pretty sure that her son could feel the emotion in her voice

"I missed you" Henry said softly

"I've missed you too; I want you to listen to me, I'm going to make sure that nothing happens to either of you. I'm coming for you both very soon" Regina promised, tears now openly and freely flowing down her cheeks

"You promise Regina?" Roland's small voice asked, pulling at her heartstrings even more

"Yes Roland, I promise you that; I have to go now, but I want you boys to hide that mirror, make sure you do _everything you can_ so that Zelena doesn't know you have it" she instructed

"We will mom"

"Henry, when you get home, I want you to tell me all about New York" Regina said

"I will, I've got a lot to tell you" Henry replied

"I'm sure you do and I can't wait to hear all about it, and Henry, look out for Roland, will you?"

"I will"

"I love you"

"I love you too" Henry said before there was silence on the other end of the mirror.

xxx

"Regina..." Snow said softly, taken back at how quickly her stepmother rushed past her, searching for the nearest thing to throw up in, which just so happened to be a trash can.

"Are you alright?" Snow asked as Regina wiped her mouth

"I'll be fine" she said dismissively, though Snow could tell that there was something different about her as she headed downstairs

"Regina..."

"..._I'm gonna **kill** the bitch_" she said, leaving the room

"Regina! Regina no! Stop!"

"Why!? She has my son!"

"I know, but remember, _no one in this town remembers Henry **or** Emma_. To these people, _Christine_ is your daughter and Emma never came" Snow said

"...So if Emma never came then, who broke the curse?"

"What?"

"Snow, that's it!"

"What do you mean?" Snow asked, confusion etched across her face

"When I cast the curse, you had a head start in defeating me, how did you know-"

"Rumpelstiltskin; he told us that a savior, that Emma would break the curse"

"Yes, exactly; when Zelena cast the curse, she didn't think about that part...unless she altered everyone's memories so that there wasn't a savior needed to break the curse"

"But, if the savior didn't break the curse, _then who did_? Because everyone else remembers your mother coming to town and Pan and the curse"

"My guess is that somehow, Zelena made it so that _she_ broke the curse"

"But, that doesn't-"

"Make any sense? I know" Regina said grabbing her car keys

"Where are you going?"

"To my vault; I have things there, books, potions. You, go home"

"But why?"

"Because we're about to initiate phase 2 of our plan"

"_Phase 2_? Regina, I didn't even know we had a phase 1"

"The minute we realized that our memories were altered, that was phase 1"

"So what's phase 2?"

"Phase 2 involves you staying as far away from me as possible"

"But why...oh, you don't want Zelena to suspect anything"

"Exactly; I'm pretty sure she has her eyes on me and seeing you and I spend so much time together will make her suspicious"

"Plus, Belle seemed so confused at to why I was being so friendly with you"

"Bingo; now go home, I'll...text you if I find out anything"

"Okay and Regina, be careful; you have someone else to think about now" Snow said with a small smile as Regina shook her head, ushering the princess out of the front door.

* * *

As she made her way through the grave yard, the crisp air hitting her in the face as the leaves made that delightful crunching sound under her feet, she felt as though she were being watched. It turns out, she was; the man whom Snow had called Robin Hood was following her.

"Don't you have some place to be?"

"I don't know where I belong plus, the woods just seem so...natural to me" he said

"Well you sure as hell shouldn't be following me" she said reaching her vault

"Who's in there?"

"What?"

"In the vault, who are you coming to see? A friend, a loved one?" He asked

There was something oddly familiar about this man but, she couldn't put her finger on just what it was.

"I have, family buried here; my mother, my father...my husband"

"I'm so sorry, for your losses"

"Well, my parents have been dead for, quite sometime but, my husband just died a few weeks ago"

"Wait, you're the mayor of this town, aren't you?"

"That would be correct, Regina Mills" she said, extending a hand for him to shake

"I would offer you my name but, I'm not quite sure what that is" he said with a laugh as he reached out to shake her hand. Though her eyes happened to land on something that was showing on his arm, a marking of some sort

"What are you staring at?" he asked

"What's that on your arm?" she asked, pointing to what appeared to be a tattoo

"Oh, this? It's a Lion Tattoo; I'm not sure what it means though" He said, pulling up his sleeve, and with that, time seemed to stand still. There it was, in broad daylight, the Lion Tattoo; and suddenly, Tinkerbell's words of finding her happy ending and the man with the Lion Tattoo came rushing back.

"M'lady, are you alright?" He asked, noticing the look of shock now etched across the mayor's face.

"Are you alright Madam Mayor?" The man asked again when he got no response. Instead, she abruptly turned and ran the other way, the sound of the man's voice calling after her in the distance.

xx

She didn't know where she was running to but, she needed to get away from him. It was crazy, seeing this man, this man with the Lion Tattoo, the man that Tinkerbell claimed was her soul mate. This was also the same man she had accidentally shot with the arrow while she was out in the woods with Snow. No, there was no way this was happening now, especially not since she'd found out that Henry was in Storybrooke...but wait, what if this was all apart of Zelena's trap? Henry, Roland, the mystery man with the Lion Tattoo...however there was something oddly familiar about him, and there was also the strange jolt of electricity she felt when he shook her hand.

No, something about that to her felt real, just like her connection to Roland. But what about Henry? Why would Zelena allow Roland to escape and find her, only to reveal that she planned to destroy her? The biggest question however, was why did Zelena need Roland and Henry to destroy her? Maybe she had a connection to Roland in the missing year? The biggest thing on her mind right now was: how the hell did she get pregnant? It had to have been just before the curse, but that would require sleeping with someone? _But who_?

Her thoughts were quickly jarred away at the sight in front of her. Zelena was in the middle of the woods, with Christine. Glancing at her watch, Regina saw that it was half past noon; Christine should be in school by now. _What the hell was she doing with Zelena_? Hiding behind a nearby bush, Regina crouched down so that she couldn't be seen, listening to their conversation.

* * *

"And you're sure you didn't see him there when you woke up?"

"I already told you, she opened the door and was talking to someone but I didn't see who it was...why are we still talking about this? He's back, you have nothing to worry about"

"But I do; something was different about him he was...he talked back to me"

"That's what children do dearie, they talk back"

"No, this was different; it were almost as if he weren't afraid of me"

"Maybe he's not anymore; after all you did put him in the same hole as Henry"

"I wanted them to be together, it'll be all the more perfect when I give everyone their memories back; I want to see the look my sister's face when she realizes that I've had Henry with me the entire time"

"And what about Robin Hood?"

"Oh I'm letting him roam around for a while, I want Regina to get close to him and then...I'm gonna take so much pleasure in ripping his heart out right in front of her."

"You really underestimate Regina" Christine said shaking her head

"When I'm through with her, you'll be regretting that you had any faith in her at all"

"It doesn't matter what you do, because I know that I made the right choice in letting Regina cast my dark curse" Christine said, causing Regina's eyes to widen; so Roland was right, Rumple was Christine.

"When my plan is complete, Regina will have never existed and if by some off chance she does well, she'll be a far cry from the Evil Queen she is now. You need to get back to school, people will start to get suspicious if you don't return" Zelena said, disappearing with Christine in a cloud of Green smoke.

xx

Once she was sure they were gone, Regina stood, feeling more confused than she was before. The man with the Lion Tattoo really was Robin Hood. And apparently, they had been a thing at some point, otherwise Zelena wouldn't need him. Now, now she really needed to get to her books to start figuring out what the hell Zelena's plan was. As she made her way back through the woods, she was startled by none other than Robin Hood himself.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you. Are you alright?" Robin said

"I'm fine"

"You ran off at the sight of my tattoo; does it mean something to you?" Robin asked, causing her heat to pound. She now knew who he was, but somehow, knowing who he was scared her; if what Zelena said was true, there was a big possibility that she could be carrying his baby.

"Regina..."

"Do you, _do you believe in, magic_?" she asked as he looked at her in confusion

"What do you mean?"

"It's just a question, _do you_ believe in magic?"

"I'm not sure what I believe right now. I don't know who I am, how I got here, where I am"

"Well, you're in Storybrooke, Maine"

"Storybrooke, that's quite ironic; so I'm in Storybrooke Maine and you're the mayor of this town?"

"That I am; I've been mayor for, quite some time now"

"It must be nice, being mayor"

"It's...interesting yes but, my title doesn't define who I am" Regina said with a smile

"That's nice to know; I'd heard many things about this, Mayor Mills woman"

"What did you hear?"

"I heard she was mean; I even heard people refer to you as The Evil Queen. That's quite absurd, the Evil Queen, like in Snow White" Robin said with a laugh.

So he didn't know anything, he didn't remember anything about his life or who they really were. Zelena had wiped his memory completely clean. It seemed as though his curse was like the exact same curse she had first cast; he knew nothing of his life before, of the life they possibly shared

"Well, you're going to hear a lot of, crazy things in this town I should warn you now" Regina said

"You know what's crazy though, there are people in this town who seem, oddly familiar to me. In fact, you seem familiar to me; very familiar" Robin said, his eyes piercing into her soul almost. Swallowing heavily, Regina decided to take a leap of faith and reveal the truth

"That's because we know each other"

"You're certain, you and I know each other?" Robin asked, completely shocked

"Yes, I'm, I'm pretty certain; we know each other pretty well" Regina nodded

"So, you know who I really am then?"

"I...yes"

"Well, who am I?"

"Your name's Robin"

"Robin" he said softly

"Yes; You're not...from here. You're from a place called Loxy"

"Robin of Loxley...Wait, your friend, the one who was with you when you shot me with your arrow-"

"For the thousandth time it was an accident!"

"Your friend called me Robin as well"

"Yes my friend, Sn-I mean, Mary Margret, right"

"Do you know if I have any family, a wife, any children?"

"I...I don't know; I just know that we've met, once or twice"

"Once or twice? It seems like you know more and you're not telling me"

"I...it's complicated to explain"

"How complicated can it be?"

"I'm going to ask you again, _do you believe in magic, Robin_?"

"Why are we going back to that again?"

"I just, I need to know if you do"

"I believe that anything is possible, why's that so important to you?"

"I just, I needed to know, because it's important, in order for me to help you remember who you are"

"Knowing if I believe in magic?"

"It sounds silly but, yes, it's important that I know, for...future references"

"Are you ever going to tell me who I am?"

"I will; but you're not ready for the truth"

"How am I not ready to know who I am?"

"Because, if I told you, you wouldn't believe it" Regina said with a smile before walking away

* * *

3:00 came before she knew it; and she had plans, big plans. Sitting in her car, she waited patiently for Christine, who was surprised to see her waiting.

"Mom! What are you doing here? I'm supposed to-"

"_Go visit Aunt Zelena?_ Not today Christine, get in"

"But mom, Aunt Zelena's-"

"Regina, what's going on?" Zelena asked, suddenly standing in front of Regina's Mercedes

"From now on Christine visits you when _I_ say it's okay"Regina said

"What? That's-"

"Christine is _my_ child and _I say_ when she visits you and when she doesn't"

"But mom-"

"That's enough Christine, get into the car" Regina said as Zelena stood there eying her sister

"Christine, stay; your mother's bluffing" Zelena said as Regina got out of the car

"Christine, get in the car _now_" Regina said, her voice bearing no arguments as she stood toe to toe with Zelena, not backing down

"What are you doing Regina? You don't wanna play this game with me" Zelena said, both women forgetting about the child in their presence

"And _clearly you've forgotten who I am_"

"Oh, right the Evil Queen; _please,_ you haven't been Evil in god knows how long. You're too busy gallivanting around with the good guys, like the Charming's. Maybe that's why our mother was disappointed in you. You may be queen, but we both know you did _nothing_ to deserve it"

"Obviously I did something right, otherwise Rumple would've have chosen me when _clearly_ you're the oldest" Regina said with a smirk as Zelena's facial expression wore something she'd never seen the woman wear:envy, that was the key

"_Why Zelena_, if I didn't know any better, I'd say I struck a nerve...are you _jealous_ that Rumple chose me to enact his dark curse?"

"It was an idiotic move of his but don't worry, when I'm done with you, Rumple and everyone else will see my potential and-"

"_Aren't you forgetting something_? **_Rumple's dead_**; or do you know something I don't" Regina said with a grin

"This is stupid; Christine is my niece and she will do as I say!"

"But Christine is _my_ child; so at the end of the day, _what I say...**goes**_. Christine, get in the car. You're only allowed to see your Aunt Zelena when I say so" Regina said, a certain fire in her eyes that neither Zelena or Christine had seen before. Surprisingly, Christine got into the car, shocking Zelena.

"You're gonna pay for this Regina!"

"_Pay for what?_ Being a parent?" Regina said innocently

"You think you're so smart don't you" Zelena said, moving so that she was inches away from her face

"I'm just as smart as you are, if not smarter" Regina said

"I wouldn't be so sure about that"

"See, _that's where you're wrong_; I have every right to be cocky. You see, _everything you know_, Rumple taught you. As for me, there are things that I know that didn't have to be taught to me" Regina said, sounding a lot like Rumpelstiltskin. letting out a frustrated groan, Zelena disappeared in a cloud of green smoke. It was in _that_ moment, that Regina knew that she had just found the key to defeating her sister.

_Chapter 27 to follow..._

* * *

**I was a bit disappointed with this chapter, the way the ideas were flowing but I promise to try and make up for it in the following chapters. **


	27. Recipe for Disaster Part I

**I love you guys so much that I'm writing this in the middle of a hellish rainstorm, because I happen to live in the rainiest city in America, and NO it isn't Seattle, now there's a shocker for you! I should actually be finishing up my final project for Biology but, I needed a break from school work Lol. Ah, nearly 100 reviews and 100 follows? Ya'll are amazing! I can never express my gratitude for how much your reviews, follows, PM's ect mean to me. Deciding to post my stories here gave my first "public exposure" as a writer and the response I've gotten over the past 2 and a half years has been overwhelming. You guys are like my friends, people who I can express my ideas to, and people to fangirl with. Haha, I do this, I keep writing because of you guys. If I could personally thank each and everyone of you, I would. If I could say thank you in every language, I would but I can't so, I'll just give you all a huge virtual hug! So, this chapter picks up where we left off in FTL. Yes, I'm making Zelena cast the curse and you'll see how a lot of things like the variation of memories come into play. And yes, Zelena will use the 'heart of the thing she loves most', which might come as a shocker to you guys! Also, there will be more of the OutlawQueen fight as well. Anywho, let's get on with the story!**

**Enjoy my babies!**

**Xx**

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

It made zero sense to her as she studied the books. The Dark Curse was completely useless she thought to herself, slamming the book closed, tossing it across the room. That curse was merely child's play! A curse that sent them to a world without magic and zero memory of their lives in the Enchanted Forest until a savior broke the curse 28 years later. She didn't want to be stuck in Storybrooke for 28 years, only to have some savior show up and throttle her plans. No, she wanted something, bigger, more...devious. No, she didn't need to be in Storybrooke long, just long enough for Snow to have her baby and to get Charming's courage. Regina's heart on the other hand? Well, that was going to be more complicated than she thought. Her sister _would be the one to have "The most resilient heart"_ of course. Why did she have such a heart that was so strong? It couldn't be because of love. No, love made her stupid, weak. The fact that she tried to crush her own heart to save the stupid thief and his son proved to Zelena that love was weakness. Still, she needed Regina's heart in order for her plan to work. After their last encounter, she was sure that the Queen had placed some sort of enchantment on it or, guarded it someplace where Zelena couldn't get to it. This seemed like an impossible feat she thought to herself before suddenly getting an idea. Standing up, she made her way across the room where she kept a caged Rumpelstiltskin, who was spinning at his spinning wheel.

"Get up" she demanded

"Why?"

"I need to find a way to destroy my sister and you're going to help me do it"

"Am I?"

"Yes, because if you don't well, I'll just have to force you to call for your shadow and then...well, Neal will be dead, and it'll be all because of you" Zelena said

"I thought you were going to use Regina's curse?"

"No, that's child's play; waiting around for 28 years only to have some savior defeat me? No, that certainly won't due. You created this thing for her and you, are going to help me alter it"

"Regina's only going to find a way to stop you"

"Oh I doubt that, not with what I have in mind for her. Now come along, we have work to do" Zelena said with a smile, opening Rumple's cage as he reluctantly followed her.

xx

She knew he would be upset, but to completely walk away from her wasn't what she had been expecting. He had stormed out, he literally walked out on her, taking Roland with him, a look of confusion on his face as his father marched in the opposite direction, leaving Regina alone with everyone else.

"_So_...lover's quarrel?" Neal said, trying to lighten the mood as Belle smacked his arm and Regina glared at him

"Number one, _he's **not** my lover_" Regina said with a roll of her eyes, though no one believed her

"_What! __He's **isn't** my lover!_"

"Regina..." Snow said knowingly

"_Okay_ so, I care about him and-"

"_Care_? Regina, I _do believe_ you're in love with Robin Hood" Charming said, a smirk on his face as he watched the queen turn red with embarrassment while Snow chuckled

"Regina, it's perfectly fine to be in love with Robin" The princess said as Regina sent them all angry death glares

"Fine, fine, _I...love Robin Hood_; there, are you idiots happy now?"

"Now there's a sentence you don't hear everyday" Granny said with an amused smile

"The queen's in love, never thought I'd see the day" Grumpy said with a smirk

"_I seem to recall **you** having feelings for a certain fairy_...Nova I believe her name was?" Regina said to Grumpy who suddenly turned red, causing Regina to smirk.

"Any who, Regina you should go talk to Robin" Snow said with a smile

"He'll be fine; we need to discuss how to-"

"Regina, go to Robin, he seemed pretty upset" Snow urged as she relented

"Fine, but-"

"Go, talk to him; we'll still be here when you get back" Snow said, watching as Regina walked away

xx

"So, are we just going to pretend that she's not in love with Robin Hood and that her sister is out to kill us all?" Neal asked

"We'll fix this, we always find a way" Snow said

"I for one, still don't trust her" Granny said, causing everyone to turn and look at her. For the most part, the old woman had been a silent participant in everything. She sat on the counsel meetings, not giving any input, though she was there any time danger was present.

"Granny, you've seen Regina over the last few months; how can you not trust her?"

"I'm not as, _forgiving_ as you Snow" Granny said

"Who else is still wary of Regina?" Snow demanded, watching in astonishment as Belle, Neal, Grumpy and even Charming raised their hands

"Wow, this is, _this is sad_" Snow said with a shake of her head

"Snow, you can't really blame us" Grumpy said

"_Have you people not seen who Regina's become in the last year_? She is _not_ the Evil Queen anymore. She saved us from Greg and Tamara, she went to Neverland and defeated Peter Pan. She gave up Henry, to save us, _to save all of you_ from Pan's curse. She's going up against her sister for us. She wasn't always evil you know; when I first met her, she was, she was kind...she saved my life..."

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest-Many Years ago**

_He was in search of a queen, a mother for his daughter. That was why they had been journeying through the kingdom for quite some time. They had seen many women, potential suitors and possible mother figures for Snow, but neither Leopold nor Snow thought that they would be good enough to replace their beloved Eva. She was 12, barely 13 at the time and would rather have been home at their palace, not out with her father searching for a mother. Though she knew that she was in need of a mother, no one, she thought could replace her mother, for she was perfect in every way. They were just heading towards a clearing, when suddenly, her horse went wild. With a loud neigh, the horse took off at what seemed to be lighting speed. Her screams were heard echoing through the open field the horse now raced towards. _

"_Somebody help me!"_

"_Someone, someone please help me!"_

"_Help! Help me, please help me!"_

_At this point, she was practically hanging onto the horse for dear life. However, in the distance, she could hear more hooves galloping-someone had come to save her. Glancing around, she saw someone else riding up beside her, a woman she'd never seen before._

"_Give me your hand!" she shouted, terrified, young Snow did as she was told, the woman quickly pulling her onto her horse as the other horse galloped away. By the time the woman came to a stop, Snow had fallen to the ground, accompanied by a grunt and a soft thud. Still trembling from the experienced, she looked up to find the woman, who looked to be not much older than her, rushing towards her, pulling her close. This woman smelled nice, she was soft; there was such a gentleness about her that couldn't be explained._

"_It's okay dear, you're safe" the woman said, and that was when Snow was able to get a good look at her. She was beautiful, stunning in every way. Her eyes were warm, a soft brown color that fit well with her soft face. She seemed to be quite experienced in riding, seeing as she was dressed in riding gear, her long dark hair pulled into a braid. There was something about this woman that made her seem, trustworthy to Snow._

"_You saved my life" Snow said, still quite breathless and in shock, her eyes still slightly widened by fear. The woman however, seemed more concerned with her physical appearance, checking her over for any bruises._

"_Are you alright?"_

"_Yes, but I'll never ride again" Snow panted, as a smile came across the woman's face_

"_Nonsense; the only way to overcome fear, is to face it. To get back on that horse as soon as possible" The young woman told her, a smile on her face that made Snow all the more drawn to her._

"_Thank You" Snow said, completely mesmerized by the woman's words and bright smile_

"_Regina" she said, still smiling_

"_I'm Snow, Snow White" she said, having the strangest urge to hug the woman, which she did. The woman surprisingly hugged her back; little did they both know that their families shared a great deal of history, their mothers especially..._

xx

"So, you're telling me-"

"That's right, Regina saved me, she saved my life" Snow said to Grumpy

"So, why'd she end up trying to kill you?"

"Because I told a secret; Regina's only ever been in love one other time, right around the time I met her. His name was Daniel, and he was their family's stable boy"

"Boy, she sure has a thing for poor guys, first a stable boy and now a thief" Neal said, as Belle shushed him, willing the princess to continue.

"So Regina was in love before?"

"Yes, only one other time before Robin; you see, the thing with Regina, is that when she loves someone, she loves them with her _entire being_. I didn't know that she and Daniel were together when I told my father of how she had saved me. I only thought about how kind she was, and how'd I'd want someone like her to be my mother. So I told my father, and he went to Regina and proposed. Regina was in shock so, her mother accepted the proposal for her. When I went to find her that night, she was in the stables, with Daniel. I was still a little girl back then and, I thought she was betraying me but, she wasn't. It was Regina who taught me about love. She said that love, _true love_ is the most _powerful_ form of magic" Snow said with a smile

"_**Regina taught you that**? I never knew where it came from" _Charming said, completely surprised the statement

"That's right; she explained to me that she and Daniel were in love, but her mother wasn't happy about it. They were to run away together and get married. She made me promise not to tell anyone, especially not her mother"

"So what happened?" Belle asked

"Well, her mother, _Cora_, she came to me one day and, she seemed so sad. She said that Regina had been pulling away from her and, she couldn't understand. She said she didn't wanna lose her and-"

"And you told her about Daniel" Neal said, suddenly feeling sorry for the Evil Queen

"I told her that if she wanted Regina to be happy, that she should let her be free, with Daniel. She seemed genuinely pleased, said she would do anything to make Regina happy. It turns out, _all Cora wanted_, was the power. From what I've been told, Cora found Regina and Daniel together and, she ripped out his heart, right in front of her" Snow said, not failing to notice the looks of horror, sadness from everyone else and the gasp that came from Belle.

"The day she married my father, Regina told me that Daniel had left her, and that she didn't really love him. She said she told me that to spare my feelings. When she married my father, she wasn't always evil. In fact, we had some, pretty good moments together; for a while I felt like, like we were a family"

"So, how did she-"

"She met my father, he started training her and-"

"All she could see was revenge. Yes, Regina has done some, _awful, awful things_ but, she's not that person anymore. She's changed, that is why I said she is no longer to be addressed as The Evil Queen. She's still the Queen yes but, just no longer evil" Snow said as everyone took in what had been said. Yes, it was true that Regina had definitely changed recently, though there was still a part of them that had yet to forgive her. Now, after hearing just who she really was, maybe, they thought, it was time for them to start.

* * *

She found them, in his former room, seated with several of the Merry Men, engaged in a rather joyful conversation. Roland of course was the first to spot her, running towards her, a huge smile on his face.

"_Regina_! I missed you" the little boy said, as Regina scooped him up into her arms, holding him close. The eyes of the Merry Men were on her, some of them filled with looks of distrust, others filled with sympathy. Clearing his throat, Little John stood, his height towering over everyone else.

"Men, why don't we give Robin and..._Regina_, some space" he said, the other Merry Men standing up to follow him. On his way out, John gave Regina a small pat on the back, a good luck of some sort. Once the men were gone, only Robin, Roland and Regina were left in the room.

"Hey Roland?"

"Hm?"

"Why don't you go over there and draw your daddy and I a pretty picture" she said, placing the boy onto the ground as he scurried towards a nearby table where paper was waiting for him. Robin however, had been silent the entire time, his gaze focused straight ahead. His look was stony, cold, his beautiful blue eyes were clouded with what she was sure was pain, anger, confusion. Sighing heavily, Regina moved to sit in front of him, taking his hands into hers, surprised when he didn't pull back.

"_Robin_..." she began but, he cut her off

"I don't like this Regina, I'm not going to pretend that I do"

"I don't like it any more than you do"

"So change it"

"_Robin I can't_" Regina sighed heavily

"Can't or you won't?"

"I can't believe you're saying that. _Don't you think if I could I would_? If I could make it so that somehow, I knew how to defeat my sister while keeping you and Roland safe and getting Henry back that I would do it?"

"What if he comes back?"

"What?"

"Your son; what if Henry comes back while we're in this new realm? What of Roland then?" Robin asked

"_You think that I'm using this curse to get Henry back_?"

"I know that you love him above anything and that you would give your life to have him back"

"Robin" Regina said shaking her head

"Roland loves you, he adores you Regina. Do you know, that the entire time we've been in here that all Roland has done, is talk about you? He told the merry men of how you play with him, of how you sing to him. He told them how you risked your own life to save us both. Roland has no memory of Marion. You're the closest thing he's had to a mother, ever"

"I know that" Regina whispered, glancing over at the little boy who had seemingly stole her heart from the minute she saved him from Zelena's flying monkeys

"Do you? Because this new memory potion means-"

"_It means protecting him_" she hissed, startling Robin by how serious her voice had become

"_Yes_, I love Henry, I love my son more than anything...but Roland, I love him too. I love him as if, as if he were my own little boy. This isn't just some game to me Robin, the thought of not remembering you or him, it breaks my heart" she said tearfully, reaching out to touch his face

"Then don't, you don't have to do this Regina" Robin said softly

"You see, that's where you're wrong; if I want to keep you safe, _if I want to keep you **both** safe_, I have to give you up" she said, her tears now falling from her cheeks as Robin leaned closer, wiping them away with the pad of his thumb

"Regina..."

"I love you Robin Hood, I love you with everything I have inside of me. I would do _anything_, **_I would give my life_** to keep you and Roland and Henry safe, even if that means being separated from you" she said, choking back a sob as Robin pulled her into his arms

"Everything I love, I have to lose" she whispered

"Shh, we'll find a way Regina, we always find a way. No matter what of the outcome, _we will __**always**__ find each other_"

* * *

She smiled to herself as she began to mix the ingredients together. This was going quite well she thought to herself. She was casting her own Dark Curse, with modifications from Rumpelstiltskin of course. Her curse was based around Regina's, though she had decided to add in a few twists. Based on what she had learned from her sister's curse, the only way for it to be broken was for there to be a savior. Well, in her version there would be no Emma Swan; she would make it so that no one in Storybrooke remembered Emma. To make things even better, no one would remember Henry either; that part, was for Regina.

Of course there was the problem of 'if Emma didn't break the curse, who did?' Well it was simple: in this new reality, she will have broken the curse. Who would she be posing as? Why, herself of course! In the new curse, she'll have been Regina's long lost sister, whom their mother had kept locked away for many many years. She'd let Regina keep her reign as Evil Queen, but it would be her to break the curse, she would be the new town hero. Just to torture the queen even more, there would be talk of her speaking of Henry, though it would be blamed on insanity, which would be perfect when Zelena saw fit to begin taking everything away from her-starting with her title as Queen and as Mayor of Storybrooke.

She had studied the people of Storybrooke for quite some time now, and knew that she would need certain people on her side in order for things to work the right way. Slowly, without anyone's knowledge, she began to pick off certain people, a man who went by Dr. Whale in this new realm. Mostly though, she recruited her group of flying monkeys, transforming them into all sorts of people, adults, children. Yes, she was going to have a little fun with the residents of Storybrooke, paring them off with certain people. However, she saved the best parts of her little plan for last. As for Robin Hood, well, he would suffer the greatest; she would curse him so that remembered nothing, his name, where he was from, Roland, Regina, no one. Also, he would have no knowledge of fairy tales; to him, they would be nothing more than fables.

As for the little brat Roland, well, he would be just another orphan; no mother, no father and most of all, certainly no Regina. Speaking of her sister, she had something great in store for her. Using one of her most trusted flying monkeys, she would turn him into the only other man Regina had loved: Daniel. That was just the memory portion of her curse. There was one thing she had not been counting on: the curse required the heart of the thing she loved most.

"This was why I didn't allow you to cast my curse; the thing you love most, is me" Rumple said with a smile as Zelena screamed, tossing books and potions across the room.

"The thing I love most? There isn't much that I..._oh_, but there was. _I did love my mother_" Zelena said with a smile

"**_You loved Cora_**?"

"No not her! The woman who raised me, I can use her heart!"

"But she's-"

"Dead? Yes but, the curse never said that the heart of the thing you loved most had to be a living, breathing person" Zelena said as Rumple shook his head in amusement

"_Oh dearie_, it's never gonna work. Unless, you plan on ripping out my heart" Rumple taunted

"Careful, I just might" Zelena growled

"We _both_ know ya can't do that; otherwise, your curse wouldn't work, and Regina would win once again" Rumple said, his impish laugh filling the room.

"This is only a set back, I'm _going_ to cast this curse, you'll see. Nothing and no one is going to stop me!" Zelena said, disappearing in a cloud of green smoke.

_Chapter 28 to follow..._


	28. The Real Christine

**So, hello all! **

**It's been a while since I updated this story. Life's been crazy busy. I finished my finals (passed em' all-YAY!) and picked up some hours at work while preparing to transfer schools and HOPEFULLY get another job. So yeah, your girl's been busy lately. I think you guys are gonna love this chapter-it's a Rumple chapter filled with some pretty amazing scenes from Regina! Who's ready for the season finale of OUAT? I am, kind of. Oh, and did anyone else notice that Regina's light magic kicked in as soon as Robin grabbed her heart?(I had some serious feels when I saw that scene) Plus, I was super crazy excited that Regina got to get some payback on Zelena for knocking her on her ass most of the season! And her speech...*Sigh*there are a million reasons why Lana Parrilla is so fucking perfect. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, on to the next chapter! I hope you all like it!**

**Xx**

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year**

It was still quite the shock to them; Rumpelstiltskin was dead..._or so they thought_. It had been Belle and Neal that first started the crazy rumors that Rumple wasn't dead. Of course people thought that the imp's son and long time girlfriend were just in denial. However, when it was brought to Regina's attention, she couldn't help but be skeptical of the idea of Rumple being dead herself. She of course would never, _ever_ mention it to anyone else but, she did miss him. He was the man who had taught her everything that she knew about magic. Though he used to annoy her immensely, the fact that he had sacrificed his life for not only his family, but for her as well (because in a weird and disgusting way, they were related) was touching to the former Evil Queen. Though in the end, his words still haunted her to some degree

"_Villains don't get happy endings_"

Was it possible that he could have been wrong? Because now here she sat with a wonderful man next to her, his adorable son in her lap, smiling happily at her. To Regina, this seemed like a happy ending. Though it wasn't a complete happy ending, because she didn't have Henry by her side. As if he could sense what she was thinking, Robin took her hand in his, jarring Regina from her thoughts.

"Something on your mind that you'd like to share?" he asked

She was spared of having to answer that by the intrusion of both Neal and Belle.

"Regina, sorry to disturb you but-"

"We think my father could be alive!" Neal said, not bothering with Belle's politeness

"...Robin, could you and Roland give me a few moments alone with Baelfire and Belle please?"

"Sure; our story can wait a bit longer, can't it Roland?" Robin asked his son, scooping him up from Regina's arms only after she had placed a kiss on his head. Once the two were gone, Regina looked up at Neal and Belle and sighed.

"Look, I know you're both grieving but-"

"Regina, _please_; I know Rumple's alive" Belle said, her voice full of passion

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, when you're not in here, I've been looking over a couple of books and-"

"Belle, I can assure you that you won't find anything in these books that will be of help to you"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well for one, you'd need to be versed in dark magic and-"

"Well maybe you can help us then" Neal said, causing Regina to sigh

"If you're going to come up with a theory that Rumpelstiltskin is alive...you're gonna need proof. This isn't something you can just base on your feelings"

"Well what else am I supposed to base it on? _I can feel him,_ I_ know_ he's alive Regina; I can feel it, in my heart" Belle said, her eyes swimming with tears, once again causing Regina to sigh heavily.

"Look, you know what it is to love someone; tell me, if it were Robin-" Neal began

"Let's...not put him in any more danger; it was scary enough when he and Roland were abducted by Zelena"Regina said as she had brief flashbacks of her sister ripping out Robin's heart, just as her mother had done with Daniel.

"But you knew they were alive right?" Neal pressed

"I didn't know; I just remembered that I promised that I'd always find them, no matter what" she said softly

"Then you know how I feel; I _have_ to find him Regina, and I need _your_ help. You owe me that much"

"_I owe you_?"

"Yes; you did lock me away in your castle and then again in a mental asylum in Storybrooke for 28 years plus, you did turn me into Lacey" Belle pointed out

"...Touche; alright fine, I'll help you. But the minute this gets-"

"We'll know when to stop Regina, I promise" Neal said.

xx

It took some time but, Regina was able to point Belle and Neal in the right direction as to where to find information about Rumple's death and possible resurrection. She just never thought that they would find it in the form of enchanted candle named Lumiere. She wasn't with them on the day that they discovered the candelabra because Belle had reassured her that she and Neal would be fine alone looking over old spell books while she went out with Snow, Charming and Tink to help rebuild the kingdom.

"If there's anyone who can defeat that witch and get you back to your family, it's the Dark One" Belle said

"You don't think Regina can do it?" Neal asked

"_Honestly_? I'm still skeptical about Regina; I mean I know Snow told us that story about how she ended up the way she did, and I know she's been nothing but kind to us but...it's Rumple; I trust him just a tad bit more than I trust Regina"

"That's saying a lot"

"I know it is" Belle said quietly as she flipped through one of the many books in Rumple's library

"The way to resurrect him has to be here" she said

"You really believe in him, don't you?"

"I love him, all of him; even the parts that belong to the darkness" she said softly

"It took me a while to see past all of that; he was a good man trying to get out" Neal said quietly

"He did get out" Belle said as Neal let out a long shaky breath before replying

"Yeah, he did; irony is, I need the dark part, in order to get to the ones I love" he said, pulling an item from a small cloth sack

"What is that?" Belle asked as Neal held up a necklace

"A necklace; it was Emma's, it was supposed to represent our life together. I dunno how it survived the trip" he said as Belle walked towards him, a smile present on her face.

"Because, it was born out of true love. Now come with me, I think I know where we can find what we need" she said with a smile, taking his hand in hers as she lead him to another part of the library he didn't know existed.

xx

"You mean there's magic in here?" Neal asked

"No, something better than magic:books! Books on history, witchcraft, and hopefully, some on the Dark One too" Belle said

"Does Regina know this place exist?"

"Pretty sure she doesn't; Rumple had this part built on when they were...on less than speaking terms then. He had it built just before the curse was cast"

"And you're sure she doesn't know this is here?"

"To my knowledge, no" Belle said

"Wow...so, where do we start?" Neal asked

"One shelf at a time" Belle said as she lit a candelabra

"Hello there" an unfamiliar voice said, causing Neal and Belle to look at each other

"Did you uh, did you say some-"

"Over here!" The voice said again, a look of surprise coming over Belle and Neal's face as the candle's flames took on the reflection of a human

"Allow me to introduce myself" the candle said

"What the hell?" Neal said, a look of confusion etched on his face

"No need to be frightened; I am but a humble servant of this castle...my name, is Lumiere" the candle said

"I don't understand; I've dusted every nook and cranny in this place and, how have our paths never crossed?"Belle asked

"It's a big castle and I was woefully underutilized. Sadly I only awaken when my candles are lit. Those are the rules of my punishment" the candle said, his voice heavy with a french accent

"Punishment by who?" Neal asked

"Whom do you think? Does he even know where he is? Rumpelstiltskin of course! I made a deal long ago and when I couldn't live up to my end he made sure I paid the price...he's not here is he?"

"No, he's, he's dead" Belle said quickly

"And we're trying to bring him back. You said you spent a lot of time here, do you know anything that could restore The Dark One?" Neal asked

"I know a great many things!" Lumiere said

"Please, you gotta help us; if you don't I'll never see my family again" Neal pleaded

"Boo-Hoo! Why should I help resurrect the man who put me in this wax prison?"

"The Rumpelstiltskin you knew may have seemed, cold and hard but, he's changed since then. If you help us, I know he would restore you to your human form...please?"Belle begged

"...The bookcase behind you, bottom cabinet. You shall know it once you see it; it's a volume befitting The Dark One" Lumiere said as Belle quickly rushed towards the cabinet, instantly spotting the book and opening it.

* * *

It was surprising to Belle that Regina hadn't noticed this place; maybe she had but didn't say anything? She was still in the slightest bit unsure of the woman but, she could see by the way she now acted that Regina was trying. With this thought she shook away any notion that had her ready to believe that Regina had hidden this book's knowledge from her.

"What the hell kind of book is that?" Neal asked, watching as Belle flipped through the book, a look of confusion on her face.

"This isn't a book, it's a hiding spot" Belle said as she picked up a small oddly shaped object

"What is this?" Neal asked, moving closer so that he too could examine the object

"It's a key, to the vault of The Dark One" Lumiere explained

"The vault of The Dark One?" Belle asked, completely confused

"Where the first Dark One was made! Born out of the well, darkness! If you wish to bring back Rumpelstiltskin to life, it is where you must go" Lumiere said

"Will you guide us on our journey?" Belle asked

"If your promises that The Dark One will return me to my human form are true...then yes, I will!" the candlestick stick said with a smile.

"We leave first thing in the morning" Neal said, blowing out Lumiere's candles.

Once they were gone, what Neal and Belle weren't counting on, was for a shadowed figure to emerge from the shadows of the library. This person, was none other than Zelena, who brought the candle's human like figure back to life.

"Nicely done, I don't think they suspected you for an instant. Which says more about them than it does about you; that Belle isn't as smart as she thinks and that son of his? Dumber than a box of hair" Zelena said

"They're merely desperate to bring back their Rumpelstiltskin" Lumiere said, suddenly feeling guilty for tricking the two grieving people

"Not only desperate, but blind" Zelena said

"Release me! I have aided you enough" Lumiere said

"I'd watch your tone candle; there's more to be done and you shall do it. Unless you desire being the wax seal on an envelope" Zelena warned

xx

Once they told Regina of their plan, later that evening however, she wasn't quite happy with it of course.

"So you're following the advice of some candelabra?" she scoffed

"Regina, it worked! He told us where to find Rumple!" Belle said

"And this could very well be a trap of my sister's; I'm sorry but, I can't let you do this" Regina said crossing her arms

"You do realize that you're not the queen anymore right?" Belle said, causing the other woman to roll her eyes

"This isn't about me being queen" Regina said calmly

"It sure seems like it" Neal muttered

"No, this is about me keeping my son's father and his grandfather's girlfriend from doing something that could very well get them killed. Henry would never forgive me if I let something happen to either one of you" Regina said with a sigh

"Well it's a good thing Henry isn't here to know" Neal said

"Baelfire...Neal-"

"Look Regina, I'm glad that you're all about looking out for everyone but, Belle and I are going to find my father. We're leaving first thing in the morning whether you approve of it or not" he said as he stood, preparing to walk away.

"So what do I tell Henry and Emma if you get yourself killed?" Regina called out as he and Belle left the room

"You tell Henry that I died a hero; that I died trying to bring his family back together" Neal said as the door to the library closed behind him, causing Regina to bury her hands in her face and sigh heavily.

* * *

**Storybrooke:**

Somehow he knew that Regina would find out about Zelena's, not so brilliant plan. In fact, he trusted her to find out; this was why he had picked her. Though she was much softer, in terms of emotions and weakness than her sister and her mother, it was Regina's persevering spirit that lead Rumple to believe that she could cast his curse. It was what made her his most successful protegee, at times surpassing him when it came down to certain things. Had he chosen Zelena, his curse wouldn't have succeeded and he surely wouldn't have found his son, Bae. Zelena was too consumed by her blindness to see only what she wanted. Her jealousy for Regina made her blind to the fact that she had just as much, if not more potential than Regina to be great.

However, the big difference between the two sisters was that Regina relied purely on instinct. Zelena however, was the exact opposite. She didn't really trust herself because of her severe 'mommy issues' and her insane jealousy. Had she simply let go of the past and accepted her fate, she too could have been as powerful as Regina, if not powerful. Now, he was stuck, catering to Zelena's every need because Baelfire refused to listen to Regina's warning. Now, he was stuck doing Zelena's dirty work, pretending to be a child of Regina's that he was sure she knew didn't exist. This curse of Zelena's had worked, though Rumple could tell that Regina's memories were not as...altered as everyone else's.

Of course she had no memory of the missing year, but something told him that she would soon find out. Zelena's plan had a million and one flaws in it, though when he tried to tell her, she refused to listen. She continued going on and on about pointless things that didn't matter. So what that Cora had chosen to keep Regina and raise her to be royalty. He too had been abandoned by his father, but it only made him determined to be a much better man than his own father was to him. He was in some ways, a better father to Bae than his father was to him. Though it was his own foolish fear of becoming like his father that caused him to loose his son. Had he realized that only he controlled his destiny, then maybe this life, living here in this new realm, here in Storybrooke wouldn't be necessary.

He could tell by Regina's silence on the way home that she was contemplating something, what she should do to him...or rather, Christine. He had known her for so many years in The Enchanted Forest that her mannerisms had become like second nature to him. It was with one glance over at her that he knew that Regina knew exactly who he was. Zelena's plan had failed; Regina now knew. If she didn't know everything (which he was sure she didn't), she knew enough information that she could very well use to destroy her sister. That was what he had always admired about the queen, her sharp abilities. Maybe once this was over and Zelena had been destroyed, he would tell Regina thank you...maybe. He had learned over time that compliments for Regina were like a two edged sword depending on who welded said sword or rather, who gave the compliment. A compliment coming from him would not only be a shock, but would serve as a bit of an ego booster for the woman formerly known as The Evil Queen.

xx

"Get out of the car" Regina commanded once they had pulled up in front of her house. Reluctantly, Rumple got out of the car, quietly following her inside. She still hadn't said anything to him, especially after her showdown with Zelena. The fact that she had handled things quite well and it was Zelena who had gotten upset disturbed Rumple to a certain degree. This woman, this quiet woman wasn't the Regina he had known; this wasn't the Regina he had trained, taught everything she knew. Maybe, she truly was starting to change. He saw it back in Neverland, seeing as it had been her who had taken back Henry's heart from Pan. Though he wasn't there to see it; he heard that it was nicely done. The most shocking part was that she hadn't been consumed by her guilt as everyone else who came in contact with the tree of guilt.

Once they got inside, Rumple noticed that Regina had made her way towards the kitchen. She was still quiet, very, very quiet. If he had learned one thing while training Regina, it was that a silent Regina was never a good thing. His suspicions were confirmed when he felt her magically appear behind him, her hands wrapping around his throat.

"Mom, what are you-"

"If you call me mom again, I swear I'm gonna kill you" Regina growled; though he couldn't see her face, he was sure that her face was a look that screamed fear and terror.

"Mom, it's me, Christi-"

"Save it! You're lying, and you know how much I hate liars...Rumpelstiltskin" she said, holding something sharp to his neck, causing the imp's eyes to widen in fear. This was a new Regina, one he had never seen before, and he hoped that once this was over, he would never see again.

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest-Missing Year:**

The next morning, against Regina's wishes, Baelfire and Belle started out on their journey to find the vault of the Dark One. Just before they left, Regina, like she had done with both Robin and Roland, gave Neal and Belle one half of the mirror she had enchanted, urging them to use it to let her know that they were safe.

"We'll be safe Regina; we're going to find Rumple and we're going to fight Zelena and win" Belle told the queen with a smile as she prepared to leave

"Just...be careful, both of you" Regina said quietly, her eyes falling particularly on Neal who walked towards her, his head bowed.

"We will; hey, promise me that you'll give my man Hood here a chance" Neal teased as Robin gave him a grin

"You don't have to worry about that mate; I'm pretty sure I had her heart the minute she saved my son. That and my dashing personality was quite the bonus" Robin joked, causing Regina to swat his arm, a grin on her face as she shook her head

"I promise to give him a chance" she said softly

"And Regina? If I die-"

"No, don't talk like that Neal; we're all going to get back to Henry and-"

"Wow, never saw the day I'd see the Evil Queen being so...optimistic"

"Hey, this is what happens when you become friends with Snow White" Regina said with a smirk

"I like it; I hope the optimism sticks...but seriously, if something happens to me-"

"Neal..."

"No Regina just, hear me out; if I die today, just promise me that you'll tell Emma that I'm sorry, and to find someone else to go to Tallahassee with her...and tell Henry that I love him, and that I died a hero trying to bring this family back together" He said, his voice heavy with emotion, causing Regina to tear up

"Dammit Neal" she whispered, doing something completely out of character for her; she hugged him and surprisingly, he hugged her back

"You marry Hood and make sure he's a good dad to my boy okay? Make sure he teaches him how to shoot a decent arrow" Neal said

"He won't have to, because you'll-"

"Just, promise me Regina"

"I promise; and when you come back, you can take back what you said" Regina replied once she pulled back from the hug

"Sadly, something tells me I won't be coming back" Neal said with a shake of his head, before walking towards Robin, giving the man a firm handshake

"You look out for her you hear? Regina's tough, but even tough girls like her need love too" Neal said to Robin

"I will love her, with my whole heart" Robin promised

"And look after my boy for me? Pretty sure he'll love having Robin Hood for a dad" Neal joked as Robin nodded

"I will; you can count on me mate" Robin said as Neal bid little Roland a goodbye

"Henry's gonna love having you for a little brother; you teach em everything you know alright? And you listen to Regina and your dad...don't give em too much hell okay?" Neal said to the little boy with a smile

"I will, promise" Roland said, nodding his head with much seriousness

As Regina watched Neal bid everyone else goodbye, she felt a heaviness fall on her heart. Something told her that Neal wouldn't make it back alive; Belle, maybe but Neal? No. Neal would soon be dead, leaving her son without a father.

xx

The journey to the vault of the Dark One was quite long. The snow caused their 3 day journey to become an extra day and a half longer. They had almost forgotten just how harsh the winters in the Enchanted Forest were. Finally, they made it to their destination, something of which Lumiere was relieved of.

"You found it, thank heavens" he said

"Now what?" Neal asked

"Head to the center of the clearing, under the ice and snow you shall find the entryway, to the vault" Lumiere explained

Doing as he was told, Neal followed orders, brushing away snow in order to find the entrance. When he uncovered it, he let out a help of happiness.

"Belle!" he shouted as the young woman moved beside him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the oddly shaped key.

"The uh, key must go in the middle" Belle said as Neal looked to Lumiere for confirmation

"You sure about this?" He shouted over the falling snow

"I spent 200 years in Rumpelstiltskin's library witnessing more dark magic and sorcery than any living creature has ever seen!" Lumiere said, causing a look of confusion to fall across Belle's face

"I'm, I'm sorry, how long did you say you were there?" Belle asked

"200 years at least!"

"He's lying" Belle said to Neal who immediately stopped digging, watching as the librarian headed towards the candle

"Rumple built that library for me, not long before the curse. It's been there barely 30 years" Belle said

"Who are you?! Unless you wanna spend the rest of eternity under a snow drift you better start talking" Neal demanded

"I am who I appear to be; only it wasn't Rumpelstiltskin who turned me into this wretched form. It was, the Wicked Witch of the West" Lumiere explained

"The Wicked Witch? She told you to lead us here?" Belle asked

"She wants you to bring back the Dark One, so she can control him with his dagger" Lumiere said.

"We need to leave this place, Regina was right" Belle said as she turned to Neal

"Belle wait, it means we can bring him back, does it matter who got us here?" Neal asked

"Rumple didn't sacrifice his life for good so he could return to be a slave to evil" Belle argued

"My father is the king of loopholes; I'm sure he'll figure out a way to deal with her"

"And what if he can't? Think of what she could do if the Dark One was under her control. We'll find another way to bring him back" Belle said

"What if there is no other way? I can't waste any more time; I have to get back, to hell with the costs" Neal said, moving back towards the entryway

"That's what your father told himself when he forged the curse, that condemned countless people to misery. Don't make, the same mistake he made" Belle warned as Neal sat there in the snow, his eyes focused on the key. Sadly, he didn't take the young librarian's advice and instead, placed the key into the entryway. This was what he had to do to get back to his family; to Henry and to Emma. And if he couldn't well, he'd sure as hell die trying.

"Neal wait!" Belle shouted, though it was too late, he had already began opening the entrance to the vault.

xx

In a flash, the vault suddenly seemed to come to light, a strong heat coming over it, burning Neal's hand, causing him to yell out in pain, jumping back as though he had been burned. Placing his hand into the freezing snow as to alleviate the pain, Neal pulled back, only to find that the key's mark had been burned into his hand. Suddenly, the top of the vault began to shift into something, gooey like. The two, along with Lumiere stared in wonder as the ooze suddenly began to take shape, the shape of what appeared to be a human.

"Rumple?" Belle called out, curious but yet scared at the same time to see if it was really him.

While Belle's eyes were focused on the gooey figure that appeared to be Rumpelstiltskin, Neal let out a groan of pain, falling backwards into the snow.

"Neal? Neal what's wrong, are you okay?" Belle asked as she quickly moved towards him, while the figure, still glued to its original spot stood tall, a dagger in its hand; this man was truly indeed, none other than Rumpelstiltskin himself.

"Neal, it's okay, just hold on okay?" Belle said reassuringly, just as her eyes connected with Rumple's

"Belle" he said softly, however, the sight of his son lying there made the imp's heart stop.

"Bae, no!" he said, rushing towards his son, pulling him into his arms, just as Zelena appeared in a green puff of smoke

"Poor Baelfire; he just couldn't learn from his father's mistakes. He wanted so badly to get back to his son, didn't see the forest for the trees" she said

"You did this, you tricked him!" Rumple said, pointing the dagger at her

"All I did was pass on some vital information, with the help of a friend. Then your son did the rest" Zelena said

"You didn't tell him the price" Rumple growled

"Oops; it's a sin of omission, though I thought it was rather obvious: a life for a life" Zelena said as Rumple looked down at Neal

"It's gonna be alright son" Rumple said to Neal

"I highly doubt that" Zelena said as Rumple turned to Belle

"Go" he said as she quickly stood while Rumple pulled Neal close to him

"I'm not gonna let him go" Rumple said as he held the dagger in the air, calling for his shadow, which instantly came to him. With a swift move of his dagger, the shadow immediately went inside Neal's body. The moment this happened, both men fell to the ground in agony as Belle watched in tears. During the commotion, Rumple had dropped the dagger, which Zelena easily picked up.

"You didn't lose your son, but you lost yourself" She said with a grin as she held the dagger

"Rumple? Neal?" Belle called out as she watched both men lie there in the snow, neither one of them saying anything. A few seconds later however, Neal took a deep breath, his eyes popping open. There was something about the way he looked though that spelled nothing but trouble. Rumple however, remained on the ground a few moments more before moving to stand up; he too didn't quite look himself

"Rumple?" Belle called out, though he said nothing in response

"What have you done to them!?" Belle cried as she crouched down next to Neal

"It's not what I did, but more about what Rumple did; you see, there is a way for Neal to live, but it cost Rumple a piece of himself" Zelena said with a grin before holding the dagger towards Rumple

"Why are you doing this?!" Belle cried

"Why, to ruin my sister of course; now, it's time to go; but before we do...kill her" Zelena commanded, a sinister grin on her face as Rumple looked over at Belle

"Rumple?" Belle said, completely terrified of what could possibly happen. However, it was Lumiere's quick thinking that bought Belle a way of escape

"I can't keep her for long! Go, hurry! Don't make me regret this flash of conscious! Get out of here!" The candle shouted as Belle quickly moved to help Neal to his feet, dragging him away from Zelena and Rumple, but not before grabbing Lumiere as well

"You're gonna regret this candle!" Zelena shouted

* * *

**Storybrooke:**

With the predicament he was in, the imp wasn't sure to think. He knew that if Regina killed him, it would essentially kill Neal as well. Killing Neal wouldn't be good for either Rumple, nor Regina. However, he knew that if he told Regina the truth and Zelena found out, then she would in turn kill Belle, which also wouldn't be good. What was he to do? There wasn't much he could do, seeing as Regina was behind him, a knife slightly stabbing into his, or rather Christine's throat. Christine! Yes! That was it! He would play on Regina's maternal instincts in order to get her to calm down and not kill him.

"Mom! Mommy! It's me, Christine!" he shouted, sounding much like the 12 year old girl

"Shut up Rumple just shut up!" Regina snapped, still not budging; damn he thought. There was only one way to do this, and he would have to beg Regina's forgiveness once she had figured out a way to break the curse and destroy Zelena. In an instant, Rumple morphed himself into the one person he knew meant the world to Regina.

"Mom! Mom stop! It's me!" he said

"Henry?" Regina replied; in that moment, of hearing his voice, in seeing his face, Regina's anger seemed to subside. She carefully lowered the knife from Henry's throat, though her grasp on him remained.

"Mom, calm down! It's me, Henry"

"...How can I trust that you're really Henry? Tell me something only my son would know" Regina said, though her voice was much softer, as though she were crying. Rumple hated having to do this to her but, it was the only way. It was the only way to ensure Neal's safety, as well as Belle's and as well as Regina's.

"Mom...you have to believe me! Zelena did this" Henry said

"No shit; pretty sure I already figured that out...you're stalling! Why are you doing this?" Regina asked as Rumple sighed.

There was another way but, he knew what it would require, and Regina was quite strong. She wasn't seeing things any other way so, with a silent apology, Rumple used his strength to knock Regina across the room, cringing at the way her body crashed into the wall. Shaking his head, the imp moved towards Regina when suddenly, he was thrown back by a strong force field of magic. Apparently, this seemed to surprise Regina as well. The closer he got to her, he could feel it...strong, _very strong_, magic. Whatever was going on with Regina was quite powerful. And that's when he realized it: Regina was pregnant. In an instant, both fell silent as they stared at one another for what felt like the longest time. She knew that Rumple knew, and he knew that Regina knew who he really was. There was no use in hiding it now he thought to himself, quickly changing to his real form.

xx

"So it is you" Regina said

"...And you my dear, have some very powerful magic going on in your uterus" Rumple replied as fear showed in Regina's eyes. As he approached her, the force field quickly came back up.

"_My, my_, a baby that can protect itself, and its mother from harm. _Now that's not something you see every day_" Rumple said with an amused smile

"How are you even alive?" Regina wondered

"That's a story you'll learn...once you break the curse"

"Break the curse? I can't-"

"Oh but you can Regina; there's a reason I chose you and not Zelena to-"

"Wait...what?"

"That's right, you have no memory of the last year...as well as who the father of that child is" Rumple said with a grin

"You know who-"

"It wouldn't matter if I told you, at least not now anyways; there's only one way for that part of the curse to be broken, and I believe you know what it is"

"Well that's just perfect, because Emma isn't here and Zelena has Henry" Regina snapped as Rumple chuckled to himself

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing; look Regina, you need to be very careful about how you approach Zelena" Rumple explained

"Why?"

"Because, one wrong move from you and I could loose my family, so could you"

"What?"

"Zelena's got both your boys"

"What the hell are you talking about? I only have one-"

"Right, right; you can''t remember him. There's a reason you're so drawn to young Roland" Rumple said

"...Wait, how are you even talking to me right now? Doesn't Zelena-"

"I'm not in her presence so, there's not much she can do with the dagger. But don't think that she's going to let today's little act slide" Rumple said, suddenly grunting

"Rumple what's-"

"She's summoning me" he said, quickly turning back into Christine before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke, leaving Regina completely confused.

"What the hell just happened?" she muttered to herself, just as there was a knock on her door that was followed by the sound of her doorbell. Whoever it was, must have wanted something very important. Groaning from the pain of being thrown into the wall, Regina stood, brushing herself off as she made her way towards the door. The people behind it however, were even more of a shock to her. On the other side of the door, along with Mary Margret and David, were Hook...and Emma.

_Chapter 29 to follow..._

* * *

**Yes I know! A lot of crazy shit went down in this chapter! Also, I know I made you guys wait for a VERY long time before I updated this again. Like I said earlier, I had finals and I've been working both jobs since classes ended and I'm off tomorrow! Woo! So I made time to update this for you guys. 11 and a half pages-just for my babies! Oh and Lana made it to the final 2 in eonline's "Girl on Top" contest. Yay! That means she could win! You guys should vote for her! Go to eonline and cast your votes! Voting ends Sunday at 5 pm PST/7 pm EST-just in time for the finale! So let's end the season on a high note by making Lana come out on top! **

**Xx**


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